DUI & Gambling

Session Title

Session 2-3-F: Lightning Talks

Presentation Type

Lightning Talk

Location

Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada

Start Date

29-5-2019 1:45 PM

End Date

29-5-2019 3:10 PM

Disciplines

Psychiatric and Mental Health | Substance Abuse and Addiction

Abstract

Abstract: Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol (DUI) is a behavior characterized by risk-taking. Individuals who repeatedly drink and drive often have issues with impulsivity and often believe they are more capable of driving while impaired than others. In addition, almost half of repeat DUI offenders have comorbid mental health issues other than substance use problems. Given the similarities between this population and individuals with gambling problems, we examined the prevalence of gambling problems in two separate samples of DUI offenders.

Implications: If gambling problem rates are elevated in DUI offenders, programs that treat these offenders, including court-mandated programs, might serve as important locations for screening and brief interventions.

Keywords

DUI, gambling, comorbidity, risk-taking

Author Bios

Dr. Sarah Nelson is the Associate Director for Research at the Division on Addiction, Cambridge Health Alliance, and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Nelson has collaborated on studies of gambling involvement, the effects of exposure on gambling, gambling self-exclusion and self-limitation programs, models to detect internet gambling patterns that predict risk for gambling problems, and the actual play patterns of subscribers to a daily fantasy sports provider.

Funding Sources

This work was supported through a contract with the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility. FAAR did not have any involvement in the research itself.

Competing Interests

The Division on Addiction and affiliated faculty have received funding in the past three years from DraftKings, the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility (FAAR), The Healing Lodge of the Seven Nations via NIH and Indian Health Services (IHS), NIH, the Integrated Centre on Addiction Prevention and Treatment of the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, which receives funding from The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, National Center for Responsible Gaming, the New Mexico Responsible Gaming Association, the British Columbia Lottery Corporation, MGM (through a subcontract with UNLV), and GVC Services, Ltd.

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May 29th, 1:45 PM May 29th, 3:10 PM

DUI & Gambling

Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada

Abstract: Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol (DUI) is a behavior characterized by risk-taking. Individuals who repeatedly drink and drive often have issues with impulsivity and often believe they are more capable of driving while impaired than others. In addition, almost half of repeat DUI offenders have comorbid mental health issues other than substance use problems. Given the similarities between this population and individuals with gambling problems, we examined the prevalence of gambling problems in two separate samples of DUI offenders.

Implications: If gambling problem rates are elevated in DUI offenders, programs that treat these offenders, including court-mandated programs, might serve as important locations for screening and brief interventions.