Seniors more vulnerable to problem gambling

Joe Stange

Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2001 | 11:19 a.m.

ST. LOUIS -- It's Monday morning at the President Casino in downtown St. Louis, and more than 100 people are passing the time dropping coins into machines or plunking chips onto tables. A majority of them appear to be over the age of 65.

That's no surprise to Dennis McNeilly, a clinical psychologist who specializes in older adults.

"The reason is because they have disposable time and disposable income," he said. "They're looking for something to do; they've got time to do it; they're retired. There's lots of incentive in terms of transportation, comps, free meals."

McNeilly is among those trying to call attention to a growing concern: problem gambling among seniors. He spoke to a room full of crisis counselors and casino officials Monday at St. Louis Community College, while a similar seminar was going on in Kansas City.

This week is the third annual Responsible Gaming Education Week. The Missouri Alliance to Curb Problem Gambling is using the week to launch a public awareness campaign geared toward older adults.

With a calendar seemingly full of "education" weeks and "awareness" months, one wonders how often they get noticed. But in 1999 and 2000, this particular education week made a palpable difference.

Each caused a large spike in the number of people calling the state's problem gambling hot line, 1-888-BETSOFF, and the number of people who chose to voluntarily exclude themselves from Missouri casinos.

During the first six months of this year, an average of 241 people per month called the hot line because of a real or suspected gambling problem. That's more than twice the number who called during the same months last year.

About 3,000 recovering problem gamblers have registered for the state's voluntary exclusion program. Those on the list can be arrested for trespassing if they are caught visiting a casino. The casinos are required to consult the list before admitting visitors.

The exclusion list is growing by about 105 people per month this year. That's up from 1999, when it was growing by about 79 people per month.

"It's nice to see the awareness programs work, and we can really be proud of what we're doing," said Melissa Stephens, the state's administrator for problem gambling programs. Missouri is the first state to have an office dedicated to addressing gambling addiction.

Experts aren't sure how quickly the number of older problem gamblers is increasing, but it's expected to swell as Baby Boomers age.

McNeilly said the proportion of seniors addicted to gambling might not be unusually large, but the population is particularly vulnerable. He said elderly adults can be more susceptible to compulsive behavior while shunning outside help. And with smaller, fixed incomes, seniors generally have less ability to recover from serious debt.

"We haven't paid much attention to it before," McNeilly said, "There's more and more anecdotal evidence with individuals who have gotten into a lot of trouble."