Facts – Connecticut

KNOW THE FACTS ABOUT

Gambling & Gaming

What is Gambling?

Any act that involves risking money or valuables on the outcome of a game or contest that is mostly determined by chance

Problem Gambling in Connecticut

1.5%-2% population will meet the criteria for gambling disorder
Approximately 53,863 individuals enough to fill Fenway Park 1.5 times or Yankee Stadium once with a few people left standing
8% population are considered “at-risk” of developing a problem with gambling in their lifetime
That is approximately 287,269 CT residents
Enough to attend 28 sold out concerts at Mohegan Sun Arena

17% of students reported gambling in the past year
26% of students have tried to cut back
7% have missed school or other important activities due to gambling
12% reported family members expressing concerns about their gambling
7% of students have reported experiences problem gambling amongst family members
Source: SERAC, Gambling Behavior and Substance Use, 2019

Student Athletes and Gambling:

Student-athletes may be at an even higher risk than other college students for developing serious gambling problems.
Student-athletes in major team sports like football and basketball appeared significantly more likely to gamble, gamble frequently, have high-risk behaviors, gamble more money and develop gambling problems in comparison to other athletes.
Hispanic male student-athletes reported the highest problem gambling and gambling disorder rates.
Increases in gambling problems among student-athletes also appear correlated with substance abuse, gorging/vomiting, and unprotected sex.

Odds of winning the Powerball – 1 in 292,201,338
Odds of catching a foul ball at a MLB stadium – 1 in 835
Odds of being struck by lightning over the course of a lifetime – 1 in 3,000
Odds of finding a four-leaf clover – 1 in 10,000
Odds of living to be 100 years old – 1.73 in 10,000
Odds of creating a perfect march madness bracket – 1 in 9.2 quintillion Maglio, S. J., & Polman, E. (2016). Revising probability estimates: Why increasing likelihood means increasing impact. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 111(2), 141–158. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspa0000058

What is Gaming?

Gaming is playing electronic games, whether through consoles, computers, tablets, phones, etc.

Gaming By the Numbers:

If your game sessions tend to be several hours long or stretch late into the night, that is a behavior that is also associated with gambling.
Games offering opportunities for login rewards create the habit of gaming every day that is a behavior that is also associated with gambling.
If your game has microtransactions where the item costs for elite gear gets more and more expensive, that is a behavior that is also associated with gambling.
If the games you play offer loot boxes filled with mostly low-level loot but also has a random chance for a rare item, that is a behavior that is also associated with gambling.