Gambling news from http://calsun.canoe.ca/
What are the odds that someone who gambles for leisure will become a problem gambler?
That's one of the questions a first-of-its-kind study at the University of Calgary hopes to answer.
The five-year, 2,000-people study will answer questions about gambling, the answers to which have until now been guessed or assumed, said U of C professor David Casey.
What role do social factors, genetics, family history, upbringing, financial situation, access, cultural context and personal circumstances play in people's gambling habits, are some of the questions that will be tackled.
"We want to know what influences a group of people to become social gamblers and what influences a small group of people to become problem gamblers," said Casey.
"If we were to get a new casino in Calgary and we don't know what the effects are going to be, all we can do is guess and that's what everybody's been doing - guessing.
"But after this, we won't have to guess any more and … it will help government with policy development and minimize gambling effects."
Casey hopes the information garnered through the project will also show what leads some people to become addicted to gambling, while others can dabble in the activity and never be hooked.
That's the main reason Bill Denney, a leisure gambler, decided to take part in the study, he said.
"I buy lottery tickets and it's all budgeted," he said.
"When the money's gone, I'm gone and I'm curious to see what makes other people not able to stop when the money runs out."
The study will follow participants, which include problem gamblers, leisure gamblers and people who don't gamble at all, over a five-year period.
What makes this a break-through study is the fact no longitudinal research - data gathered over an extended period of time - into gambling has been conducted anywhere, said project coordinator David Hodgins.
University researchers will see how gambling trends change with age, with the implementation of new legislation, with the opening and closing of gambling establishments and with life circumstances, he said.
Those interested in taking part in the study can call 1-888-897-0810.
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