Gambling habits and gambling disorder in elderly community members: A comprehensive study

ABSTRACT Background: The prevalence of gambling has been increasing in recent decades in Portugal. It is associated with risk factors such as loneliness, depression, and substance abuse such as alcohol and tobacco. In Portugal, there are few studies on individuals over 65 years old, and there is a total lack of data on individuals over 74 years old. Objectives: To understand the gambling habits of Portuguese elderly community members and to determine the prevalence of pathological gambling and the characteristics of pathological gamblers in this particular population. Materials and Methods: The study design was a cross-sectional, observational, descriptive, and analytical study. A questionnaire was administered to users of one community public health center aged 65 years and older who were registered on the patient list of this center in September 2022. The questionnaire included a sociodemographic section, a questionnaire on alcohol, tobacco, and other drug consumption habits, the UCLA Loneliness Scale, Barthel Scale, and the South Oaklin Gambling Screen Scale, which classifies a gambler as recreational, abusive, or pathological. All scales were already validated for the Portuguese population. Results: Two hundred participants were surveyed, with 117 females (58.5%) and 83 males (41.5%). Ages ranged from 65 to 92 years. 4.5% of respondents exhibited gambling pathology, with a higher prevalence in males (9.6% vs. 0.9%) and in the age group of 75–92 years (5.5% vs. 3.6%). There were significant differences in monthly income, daytime activities, tobacco consumption, and the amount spent in a day between respondents with and without gambling pathology. Scratch cards (68.5%) and Euromillions (68%) were the most prevalent games. Conclusions: Pathological gambling has a significant prevalence among the elderly. It is important to invest in national studies that encompass all age groups to better understand the gambling habits of the elderly and to create community interventions to reduce this issue and its potential consequences.