Gambling Disorder among older adults: An Overview
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29120/ijpsw.2025.v16.i1.640Keywords:
Gambling, Older adults, Elderly, IndiaAbstract
Gambling disorder is currently within addictive disorders in classificatory systems. There has been a shift from its understanding as an impulse control disorder in the past. The prevalence of gambling has been increasing across the world, especially with the exponential growth of the online gaming industry. Though there has been some recent interest in the scientific study of gambling in India, the issues among older adults are neglected. There are reports from other parts of the world about the increasing prevalence of gambling disorder among older adults with its significant effects on physical and mental health, finances and relationships. The Public Gambling Act 1867 (Gambling Act) is the general law that governs gambling in India. Types of gambling activities differ across countries and cultures and we do not have enough information about the gambling preferences of older adults in India and have to rely on studies from the younger population. Current aetiological formulations are towards a biopsychosocial model of the disorder. A comprehensive evaluation is necessary and the problem may be hidden by the older adults and usually not suspected. There is a role for holistic interventions pharmacological, psychological and social interventions. There is an urgent need for studying gambling behaviour and associated factors among older adults in India.
References
Benegal V. Gambling experiences, problems and policy in India: a historical analysis. Addiction. 2013; 108(12):2062-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2012.04068.x.
Abbott MW. Gambling and Gambling-Related Harm: Recent World Health Organization Initiatives. Public Health. 2020;184:56–59.
Parmar A. Gambling in India: the need for a comprehensive public health framework. Lancet Psychiatry. 2024;11(1):5-6. doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(23)00269-9.
India’s Online gambling Industry is a Lottery. Available from: https://thediplomat.com/2024/08/indias-online-gambling-industry-is-a-lottery [Cited 2024 Sept 20]
Fontaine M, Lemercier C, Bonnaire C, Giroux I, Py J, Varescon I, et al. Gambling and Aging: An Overview of a Risky Behavior Behav Sci. 2023;13:437.doi.org/10.3390/bs13060437
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-III-R. Washington, DC, American Psychiatric Association, 1987.
Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association, 2013.
WHO. International classification of diseases 11th revision. Geneva: Switzerland: World Health Organization, 2019.
Seel CJ, Jones M, Christensen DR, May R, Hoon AE, Dymond S. Treatment of harmful gambling: a scoping review of United Kingdom-based intervention research. BMC Psychiatry. 2024;23;24(1):392. doi: 10.1186/s12888-024-05843-8.
Dowling NA, Merkouris SS, Manning V, Volberg R, Lee SJ, Rodda SN, et al. Screening for problem gambling within mental health services: a comparison of the classification accuracy of brief instruments. Addiction 2018;113:1088-1104. doi.org/10.1111/add.14150
Tran LT, Wardle H, Colledge-Frisby S, Taylor S, Lynch M, Rehm J, et al. The prevalence of gambling and problematic gambling: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Public Health. 2024;9(8):e594-613. doi: 10.1016/S2468-2667(24)00126-9
George S, Jaisoorya TS, Nair S, Rani A, Menon P, Madhavan R, et al. A cross-sectional study of problem gambling and its correlates among college students in South India. BJPsych Open. 2016;2(3):199-203. doi:10.1192/bjpo.bp.115.002519
Bhatia U, Bhat B, George S, Nadkarni A. The prevalence, patterns, and correlates of gambling behaviours in men: An exploratory study from Goa, India. Asian Journal of Psychiatry. 2019;43:143–149. doi: 10.1016/j.ajp.2019.03.021
Luo H, Ferguson M. Gambling among Culturally Diverse Older Adults: A Systematic Review of Qualitative and Quantitative Data. Int Gambl Stud. 2017;17:290–316. doi.org/10.1080/14459795.2017.1316415
Tse S, Hong SI, Wang CW, Cunningham-Williams RM. Gambling Behavior and Problems Among Older Adults: A Systematic Review of Empirical Studies. J Gerontol. 2012;67:639-52. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbs068
Armstrong A, Carroll M. Gambling activity in Australia. Melbourne: Australian Gambling Research Centre. Australian Institute of Family Studies. 2017.
Subramaniam M, Wang P, Soh P, Vaingankar JA, Chong SA, Browning CJ. Prevalence and determinants of gambling disorder among older adults: a systematic review. Addict Behav. 2015;41;199-209. doi: 10.1016/j. addbeh.2014.10.007
del Pino-Gutierrez A, Granero R, Fernandez-Aranda F, Mena-Moreno T, Mestre-Bach G, Gomez-Pena M, et al. Gambling activity in the old-age general population. Ageing and Society. 2022;42(12):2757-2783. doi:10.1017/S0144686X21000258
Guillou Landreat M, Cholet J, Grall Bronnec M, Lalande S, Le Reste JY. Determinants of Gambling Disorders in Elderly People-A Systematic Review. Front Psychiatry. 2019; 25; 10:837. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00837
George S, Velleman R, Weobong B. Should Gambling Be Legalized in India? Indian J Psychol Med. 2021;43(2):163-67. doi:10.1177/0253717620928761
Ladouceur R. Gambling: The hidden addiction. Can J Psychiatry. 2004;49:501–3. doi.org/10.1177/070674370404900801
Ladouceur R, Walker M. A cognitive perspective on gambling. In Salkovskis PM (Ed), Trends in cognitive and behavioural therapies (pp. 89–120). New York: Wiley; 1996.
Ladouceur R. Perceptions among pathological and nonpathological gamblers. Addict Behav. 2004;29:555–65. doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2003.08.025
25. Toneatto T, Blitz-Miller T, Calderwood K, Dragonetti R, Tsanos A. Cognitive distortion in heavy gambling. J Gambl Stud. 1997; 13: 253–266. doi.org/10.1023/A:1024983300428
Subramaniam M, Chong SA, Browning C, Thomas S. Cognitive distortions among older adult gamblers in an Asian context. PloS One. 2017;12(5):e0178036. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0178036
Subramaniam M, Wang P, Soh P, Vaingankar JA, Chong SA, Browning CJ, et al. Prevalence and determinants of gambling disorder among older adults: a systematic review. Addict Behav. 2015;41:199–209. doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2014.10.007
Zhu Y, Ma Y, Tang F, Jiang Y. Gambling and psychological well-being among older Chinese adults in the us. Innovation in Aging. 2023;7(Suppl 1):842. doi: 10.1093/geroni/igad104.2716.
Johnson RH, Pitt H, Randle M, Thomas SL. A scoping review of the individual, socio-cultural, environmental and commercial determinants of gambling for older adults: implications for public health research and harm prevention. BMC Public Health. 2023;23:362 doi:10.1186/s12889-022-14930-y
Martin, F., Lichtenberg, P.A. & Templin, T.N. A Longitudinal Study: Casino Gambling Attitudes, Motivations, and Gambling Patterns Among Urban Elders. J Gambl Stud 2011;27,287–97. doi: 10.1007/s10899-010-9202-4
Parke A, Griffiths M, Pattinson J, Keatley D. Age-related physical and psychological vulnerability as pathways to problem gambling in older adults. J Behav Addict. 2018;7(1):137-45. doi.org/10.1556/2006.7.2018.18
Ariyabuddhiphongs V. Older adults and gambling: A review. Int J Ment Health Addict. 2012;10:297-308. doi.org/10.1007/s11469-011-9325-6
Granero R, Jiménez-Murcia S, del Pino-Gutiérrez A, Mena-Moreno T, Mestre-Bach G, Gómez-Peña M, et al. Gambling phenotypes in older adults. Journal of Gambling Studies. 2020; 36:809-28. doi: 10.1007/s10899-019-09922-4
Levens S, Dyer AM, Zubritsky C, Knott K, Oslin DW. Gambling among older, primary-care patients: An important public health concern. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 2005;13(1):69-76. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajgp.13.1.69
Matheson FI, Sztainert T, Lakman Y, Steele SJ, Ziegler CP, Ferentzy P. Prevention and Treatment of Problem Gambling Among Older Adults: A Scoping Review. Journal of Gambling Issues. 2018;39:6-66. doi:10.4309/jgi.2018.39.2
Skinner WJ, Littman-Sharp N, Leslie J, Ferentzy P, Zaheer S, Quosai TS, et al. Best Practices for the Treatment of Older Adult Problem Gamblers. Journal of Gambling Issues. 2018;39. doi:10.4309/jgi.2018.39.6
Lubman D, Thomas S, Bowden-Jones H, Cowlishaw S. Pharmacological interventions for the treatment of disordered and problem gambling. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2022 22;9(9):CD008936. doi: 10.1002/14651858
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Overview: Gambling-Related Harms: Identification, Assessment and Management: Guidance. 2025. NICE. Available from https://www.nice.org.uk/ guidance/ng248. [cited on 2025 Jan 11].
Gamblers Anonymous. Home. 2025. Available from: www.gamblersanonymous.org/ga/content/about-us [ cited on 2024 Sept 20]
Ali A, Gajendragad JM. A Case Study of a Person with Gambling Disorder with Depression: A Cognitive-Behavioral Casework Approach. Clin Case Rep Int. 2023;7:1569.
George S, Kallivayalil RA. Family therapy interventions in India for persons with gambling disorder. Asia‐Pacific Psychiatry. 2012;13.1:e12435. doi: 10.1111/appy.12435
Ali A. Evidence-based practices in social work: Opportunities and challenges. Indian J Psychiatr Soc Work. 2024;15(1):1-3. doi: 10.29120/ijpsw.2024.v15.i1.613
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 CT Sudhir Kumar
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
