Game on: 70 percent of Quebecers gamble

Nearly 70 percent of Quebec adults have spent money on gambling over the past 12 months, according to preliminary findings of a survey that examined gambling prevalence and its associated behavior problems.

The investigation, which will last a total of five years, also found that Quebecers spend an average of $483 on gambling activities annually. As part of the study, researchers questioned some 11,888 Quebec residents over the age of 18 about their gaming habits between June and September 2009.

The goal of the study is to provide recommendations for prevention and treatment for gaming addictions.

The study was led by researcher Sylvia Kairouz, Director of the Concordia University Lifestyle and Addiction Research Laboratory, a professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and a member of the Centre for Research in Human Development.

Her co-researchers include Louise Nadeau, a Université de Montreal psychology professor, scientific director at the Centre Dollard-Cormier and an investigator at the Institut universitaire sur les dépendances.

“Nearly 1.3 percent of adults are at moderate risk of developing a gambling problem, while nearly 0.7 percent – close to 41,000 Quebecers – could become pathological gamblers,” says lead researcher Sylvia Kairouz.

“Our study found a higher proportion of video lottery terminal (VLTs) gamers among men and young people aged 18 to 24,” she continues. “They play more often and spend more substantial amounts of money. Some also reported increased problems associated with alcohol abuse or cannabis use.”
The study also revealed a higher proportion of gamblers at risk of developing problems as well as pathological gamblers among VLT users and online gamblers.

Entitled Portrait du jeu au Québec : Prévalence, incidence et trajectoires sur quatre ans, the survey was subsidized by the Fonds québécois de la recherche sur la société et la culture.

An interview with Sylvia Kairouz on CJAD's The Ric Peterson Show: