Rates of Problematic Gambling in a British Homeless Sample: A Preliminary Study

Abstract

Homelessness and problem gambling are two public health concerns in the UK that are rarely considered concurrently, and little is known about the extent of gambling involvement and problematic gambling in the homeless. We recruited 456 individuals attending homelessness services in London, U.K. All participants completed a screen for gambling involvement, and where gambling involvement was endorsed, the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) was administered. The PGSI risk categories were compared against data from the 2010 British Gambling Prevalence Survey (BGPS). PGSI problem gambling was indicated in 11.6% of the homeless population, compared to 0.7% in the BGPS. Of participants endorsing any PGSI symptoms, a higher proportion of homeless participants were problem gamblers relative to the low and moderate risk groups, compared to the BGPS data. These results confirm that the homeless constitute a vulnerable population for problem gambling, and that diagnostic tools for gambling involvement should be integrated into homelessness services in the U.K.

Gambling Problems Among Community Cocaine Users

“…Findings are similar to those observed among people addicted to cocaine who are in treatment (Hall et al 2000;Toneatto and Brennan 2002) and those reported by consumers of alcohol or other drugs in treatment (Barnes et al 2015). Also, results align with previous studies of active consumers of substances such as the homeless (Nower et al 2014;Shaffer et al 2002;Sharman et al 2015). The present study findings highlight the vulnerability of community-based cocaine users attending homeless and harm reduction programs to gambling problems.…”

The Relationship Between Gambling and Homelessness: A Commentary on Sharman et al. (2014)

“…More specifically, the results of a survey of 456 homeless people accessing homeless services in Westminster showed a problem gambling rate of 11.6% amongst the homeless population, as opposed to a figure of less than 1% in the British general population in the British Gambling Prevalance Survey (Wardle, Moody, et al, 2011) -0.9% using the DSM-IV criteria for pathological gambling (American Psychiatric Association, 1994) and 0.7% using the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI: Ferris & Wynne, 2001). Overall, the results of Sharman et al (2014) study reported that 11.6% problem gamblers. The preferred gambling activities amongst the homeless population were electronic roulette machines (known as FOBTs -fixed odds betting terminals) and sports/horse betting.…”

“…Finally, it should also be pointed out that the Sharman et al (2014) study made a number of factual errors in their paper. Firstly, the authors claimed in the 'Discussion' section that changes in the rate of problem gambling in Great Britain as reported in the BGPS have been "minimal" over time.…”

“…Despite this being widely acknowledged (Reith, 2006), the relationship between problem gambling and homelessness is a little studied empirical area in the gambling studies field. The recent study by Sharman, Dreyer, et al (2014) in the Journal of Gambling Studies is the first quantitative study in Great Britain on this interesting and important topic. In this context, the study is to be commended.…”

“…A recent study in the Journal of Gambling Studies by Sharman, Dreyer, et al (2014) is the first quantitative study in Great Britain on this interesting and important topic. In this context, the study is to be commended and provides an empirical benchmark on which other studies can build.…”