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The demographics of compulsive gamblers transcend racial, religious and socioeconomic barriers. In the United States, it is estimated that more than three million people are compulsive gamblers.
Age
According to MayoClinic.com, men between 21 and 55 form the largest demographic of compulsive gamblers. A 2006 study by the Annenberg Foundation found that roughly 300,000 youth (ages 14 to 22) reported gambling on the Internet on a weekly basis.
Ethnicity
A 2002 study in the "Journal of Gambling Studies" disclosed that white men in their 40s and 50s are most likely to seek treatment for compulsive gambling. Although non-whites made up only 30 percent of the sample in the study, they accounted for 64 percent of problem gamblers.
Gender
Men represent the majority demographic, but evidence suggests that the rate of compulsive female gamblers is increasing faster than that of males.
Socioeconomics
Despite compulsive gambling afflicting people from every income level, an editorial on Gamblingplanet.org says that low-income gamblers are the most at-risk demographic, betting nearly "3 times as much as their middle-class counterparts."
Monetary Losses
In a 1997 Oregon study, nearly 18 percent of compulsive gamblers reported losing $1,000 or more in one day and 53 percent reported losing $100 to $999. Among social gamblers, 1.9 percent reported losing $1,000 and 25.7 lost $100 to $999.
Source:
Mayo Clinic: Compulsive Gambling
"Gamblingplanet.org: Profile of a Compulsive Gambler"
More Information:
Gamblers Anonymous: Twenty Questions
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