For more than a year, members of the ICRG's Task Force on College Gambling Policies worked to combine scientific research findings with real-world experiences in student health and university policy issues to develop science-based policy recommendations about gambling.
Below is a list of studies that can provide information to help you better understand the risks of excessive gambling, create gambling policies at your school, mitigate gambling-related harms and offer rehabilitative programs that can help reduce addictive behaviors.
For a full bibliography of peer-reviewed research on gambling disorder, visit PubMed at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/.
Alegría, A.A., Petry, N.M., Hasin, D.S., Liu, S, Grant, B.F., & Blanco, C. (2009). Disordered gambling among racial and ethnic groups in the US: Results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. CNS Spectrums,14 (3), 132-143.
Floros, G.D. (2018). Gambling disorder in adolescents: prevalence, new developments, and treatment challenges. Adolescent Health, Medicine and Therapeutics, 9
Kessler, R. C., Hwang, I., LaBrie, R., Petukhova, M., Sampson, N. A., Winters, K. C., et al. (2008). DSM-IV pathological gambling in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Psychological Medicine, 38(9), 1351-1360.
LaPlante, D.A., Nelson, S.E., LaBrie, R. A., & Shaffer, H.J. (2011). Disordered gambling, type of gambling and gambling involvement in the British Gambling Prevalence Survey 2007. The European Journal of Public Health, 21 (4), 532-537.
Nowak, D.E., & Aloe, A.M. (2014). The prevalence of pathological gambling among college students: A meta-analytic synthesis, 2005–2013. Journal of Gambling Studies, 30(4), 819-843.
Petry, N.M., Blanco, C., Jin, C., & Grant, B.F. (2014). Concordance between gambling disorder diagnoses in the DSM-IV and DSM-5: Results from the National Epidemiological Survey of Alcohol and Related Disorders. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 28 (2), 586.
Petry, N. M., Stinson, F. S., & Grant, B. F. (2005). Comorbidity of DSM-IV pathological gambling and other psychiatric disorders: Results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 66(5), 564-574.
Reilly, C. (2008). The prevalence of disordered gambling behavior in the United States: Three decades of evidence. In Gambling and the Public Health (Vol. 1, pp. 3-11). Washington, DC: National Center for Responsible Gaming.
Shaffer, H. J., & Hall, M. N. (2001). Updating and refining prevalence estimates of disordered gambling behaviour in the United States and Canada. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 92(3), 168-172.
Shaffer, H. J., Hall, M. N., & Vander Bilt, J. (1999). Estimating the prevalence of disordered gambling behavior in the United States and Canada: a research synthesis. American Journal of Public Health, 89(9), 1369-1376.
Welte, J. W., Barnes, G. M., Tidwell, M. C., & Hoffman, J. H. (2008). The prevalence of problem gambling among U.S. adolescents and young adults: Results from a national survey. Journal of Gambling Studies, 24(2), 119-133.
Welte, J. W., Barnes, G. M., Wieczorek, W. F., Tidwell, M. C., & Parker, J. (2002). Gambling participation in the U.S.–results from a national survey. Journal of Gambling Studies, 18(4), 313-337.
Berlin, H.A., Braun, A., Simeon, D., Koran, L., Potenza, M.N., McElroy, S., Fong, T., Pallanti, S., & Hollander, E. (2013). A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of topiramate for pathological gambling. The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry, 14 (2), 121-128.
Celio, M.A., & Lisman, S.A. (2013). Examining the efficacy of a personalized normative feedback intervention to reduce college student gambling. Journal of American College Health.
Gebauer, L., LaBrie, R., & Shaffer, H. J. (2010). Optimizing DSM-IV-TR classification accuracy: A brief biosocial screen for detecting current gambling disorders among gamblers in the general household population. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 55(2), 82-90.
Goslar, M., Leibetseder, M., Muench, H.M., Hofmann, S.G., & Laireiter, A. (2019). Pharmacological treatments for disordered gambling: a meta-analysis. Journal of Gambling Studies, 35(2), 415-445.
Grant J. (2007). Managing disordered gambling with medication. In Roads to Recovery from Gambling Addiction (pp. 20-25). Washington, DC: National Center for Responsible Gaming.
Grant, J. E., Odlaug, B.L., Potenza, M.N., Hollander, E., & Kim, S.W. (2010). Nalmefene in the treatment of pathological gambling: Multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. The British Journal of Psychiatry,197 (4), 330-331.
Grant, J.E., Odlaug, B.L., & Schreiber, L. (2014). Pharmacological treatments in pathological gambling. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 77(2), 375-381.
Himelhoch, S.S., Miles‐McLean, H., Medoff, D.R., Kreyenbuhl, J., Rugle, L., Bailey‐Kloch, M., Potts, W., Welsh, C., & Brownley, J. (2015). Evaluation of brief screens for gambling disorder in the substance use treatment setting. The American Journal on Addictions, 24 (5), 460-466.
Hodgins, D. C. (2004). Using the NORC DSM Screen for Gambling Problems as an outcome measure for pathological gambling: Psychometric evaluation. Addictive Behaviors, 29(8), 1685-1690.
Huneke, N., Chamberlain, S., Baldwin, D., & Grant, J. E. (2021). Diverse predictors of treatment response to active medication and placebo in gambling disorder. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 144, 96–101.
Kraus, S.W., Etuk, R., & Potenza, M.N. (2020). Current pharmacotherapy for gambling disorder: a systematic review. Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy, 21(3), 287-296
Ladouceur, R., Ferland, F., Poulin, C., Vitaro, F., & Wiebe, J. (2005). Concordance between the SOGS-RA and the DSM-IV criteria for pathological gambling among youth. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 19(3), 271-276.
Ladouceur, R., Sylvain, C., Boutin, C., et al. (2001). Cognitive treatment of pathological gambling. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 189(11), 774-780.
Larimer, M.E., Neighbors, C., Lostutter, T.W., Whiteside, U., Cronce, J.M., Kaysen, D., & Walker, D.D. (2012). Brief motivational feedback and cognitive behavioral interventions for prevention of disordered gambling: A randomized clinical trial. Addiction, 107(6), 1148-1158.
Leung, K.S., & Cottler, L.B.(2009). Treatment of pathological gambling. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 22(1), 69-74.
McKinley, C.J., & Wright, P.J. (2012). Examining the presence of problem gambling awareness messages on college counseling center websites. Health Communication, 27(1), 98-106.
Maynard, B.R., Wilson, A. N., Labuzienski, E., & Whiting, S.W. (2018). Mindfulness-based approaches in the treatment of disordered gambling: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Research on Social Work Practice, 28(3), 348-362.
Petry, N.M., Ammerman, Y., Bohl, J., et al. (2006). Cognitive-behavioral therapy for pathological gamblers. Journal of Consulting Clinical Psychology, 74(3),555-567.
Petry, N.M., Weinstock, J., Ledgerwood, D.M., & Morasco, B. (2008). A randomized trial of brief interventions for problem and pathological gamblers. Journal of Consulting Clinical Psychology, 76(2),318-328.
Petry, N. M., Weinstock, J., Morasco, B. J., & Ledgerwood, D. M. (2009). Brief motivational interventions for college student problem gamblers. Addiction, 104(9),1569-1578.
Pickering, D., Spoelma, M.J., Dawczyk, A., Gainsbury, S.M., & Blaszczynski, A. (2020). What does it mean to recover from a gambling disorder? Perspectives of gambling help service users. Addiction Research & Theory, 28 (2),132-143.
Rash, C.J., & Petry, N.M. (2014). Psychological treatments for gambling disorder. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 7, 285.
Rash, C.J. & Petry, N.M. (2016). Gambling Disorder in the DSM-5: opportunities to improve diagnosis and treatment especially in substance use and homeless populations. Current Addiction Reports, 3(3), 249-253.
Reilly, C., & Shaffer, H. J. (2007). Roads to recovery from gambling addiction. In Roads to Recovery from Gambling Addiction (pp. 2-5). Washington, DC: National Center for Responsible Gaming.
Shaffer, H. J., & Freed, C. R. (2005). The assessment of gambling related disorders. In D. M. Donovan & G. A. Marlatt (Eds.), Assessment of addictive behaviors (second ed., pp. 334-391). New York: Guilford.
Slutske, W. (2007). Getting well on your own: Natural recovery from Gambling Disorders. In Roads to Recovery from Gambling Addiction (pp. 17-19). Washington, DC: National Center for Responsible Gaming.
Slutske, W. S. (2006). Natural recovery and treatment-seeking in pathological gambling: Results of two U.S. national surveys. American Journal of Psychiatry, 163(2), 297-302.
Stinchfield, R. (2002). Reliability, validity, and classification accuracy of the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS). Addictive Behaviors, 27(1), 1-19.
Stinchfield, R. (2003). Reliability, validity, and classification accuracy of a measure of DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for pathological gambling. American Journal of Psychiatry, 160(1), 180-182.
Toneatto, T., & Ladouceur, R. (2003). Treatment of pathological gambling: A critical review of the literature. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors,17(4), 284-292.
Yakovenko, I., & Hodgins, D.C. (2016). Latest developments in treatment for disordered gambling: review and critical evaluation of outcome studies. Current Addiction Reports, 3 (3), 299-306.
Yip, S.W., & Potenza, M.N. (2014). Treatment of gambling disorders. Current treatment options in psychiatry, 1(2), 189-203.
College and Youth Gambling
Barnes, G. M., Welte, J. W., Hoffman, J. H., & Tidwell, M. C. (2009). Gambling, alcohol, and other substance use among youth in the United States. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 70(1), 134-142.
Barnes, G. M., Welte, J. W., Hoffman, J. H., & Tidwell, M. C. (2010). Comparisons of gambling and alcohol use among college students and noncollege young people in the United States. Journal of American College Health, 58(5), 443-452.
Bovard, R. S. (2008). Risk behaviors in high school and college sport. Current Sports Medicine Reports, 7(6), 359-366.
Caldeira, K. M., Arria, A.M., O’Grady, K.E., Vincent, K.B., Robertson, C., & Welsh, C.J.(2017). Risk factors for gambling and substance use among recent college students. Drug and Alcohol Dependence ,179, 280-290.
Celio, M.A., & Lisman, S.A. (2014). Examining the efficacy of a personalized normative feedback intervention to reduce college student gambling. Journal of American College Health, 62, (3), 154-164.
Fortune, E. E., & Goodie, A. S. Comparing the utility of a modified Diagnostic Interview for Gambling Severity (DIGS) with the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) as a research screen in college students. Journal of Gambling Studies, 26(4), 639-644.
Foster, D.W., Hoff, R.A., Pilver, C.E., Yau, Y.H.C., Steinberg, M.A., Wampler, J., Krishnan-Sarin, S., & Potenza, M.N. (2015). Correlates of gambling on high-school grounds. Addictive Behaviors, 51, 57-64.
Geisner, I.M., Bowen, S., Lostutter, T.W., Cronce, J.M., Granato, H., & Larimer, M.E. (2015). Gambling-related problems as a mediator between treatment and mental health with at-risk college student gamblers. Journal of Gambling Studies, 31 (3), 1005-1013.
Ginley, M.K., Whelan, J.P., Relyea, G.E., Simmons, J. L., Meyers, A.W., & Pearlson, G.D. (2015). College student beliefs about wagering: An evaluation of the adolescent gambling expectancies survey. Journal of Gambling Studies, 31 (1), 161-171.
Goodie, A.A., & Lakey, C.E. (2007). Lottery participation as a marker of and contributor to gambling-related problems in college students. International Gambling Studies, 7 (2), 199-211.
Goudriaan, A.E., Slutske, W.S., Krull, J.L., & Sher, K.J. (2009). Longitudinal patterns of gambling activities and associated risk factors in college students. Addiction,104 (7), 1219-1232.
Hodgins, D.C., & Racicot, S. (2013). The link between drinking and gambling among undergraduate university students. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 27 (3), 885.
Huang, J. H., Jacobs, D. F., Derevensky, J. L., Gupta, R., & Paskus, T. S. (2007). A national study on gambling among US college student-athletes. Journal of American College Health, 56(2), 93-99.
King, S. M., Abrams, K., & Wilkinson, T. Personality, gender, and family history in the prediction of college gambling. Journal of Gambling Studies, 26(3), 347-359.
LaBrie, R.A., Shaffer, H.J., LaPlante, D.A., & Wechsler, H. (2003). Correlates of college student gambling in the United States. Journal of American College Health, 52(2),53-62.
Leppink, E.W., Redden, S. A., Chamberlain, S.R., & Grant, J.E. (2016). Cognitive flexibility correlates with gambling severity in young adults. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 81, 9-15.
Lostutter, T.W., Enkema, M. Schwebel, F., Cronce, J.M., Garberson, L.A., Ou, B., Lewis, M.A.,& Larimer, M.E. (2019). Doing it for the money: The relationship between gambling and money attitudes among college students. Journal of Gambling Studies, 35 (1), 143-153.
Lostutter, T.W., Lewis, M. A., Cronce, J. M., Neighbors, C., & Larimer, M.E. (2014). The use of protective behaviors in relation to gambling among college students. Journal of Gambling Studies, 30 (1), 27-46.
McClellan, G. S., & Winters, K. C. (2006). Gambling: An old school new wave challenge for higher education in the twenty-first century. In G. S. McClellan, T. W. Hardy & J. Caswell (Eds.), Gambling on Campus (pp. 9-23). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
McKinley, C.J., Luo, Y., Wright, P.J., & Kraus, A. (2016). Problem gambling messages on college counseling center websites: an over-time and cross-country comparison. Journal of Gambling Studies, 32 (1), 307-325.
Marchica, L., & Derevensky, J.L. (2016). Examining personalized feedback interventions for gambling disorders: A systematic review. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 5 (1), 1-10.
Marchica, L., Zhao, Y., Derevensky, J., & Ivoska, W. (2017). Understanding the relationship between sports-relevant gambling and being at-risk for a gambling problem among American adolescents. Journal of Gambling Studies, 33 (2), 437-448.
Martens, M.P., Arterberry, B.J. Takamatsu, S.K., Masters, J., & Dude, K. (2015). The efficacy of a personalized feedback-only intervention for at-risk college gamblers. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 83 (3), 494.
Martin, R.J., Nelson, S.E., & Gallucci, A.R. (2016). Game on: Past year gambling, gambling-related problems, and fantasy sports gambling among college athletes and non-athletes. Journal of Gambling Studies, 32 (2), 567-579.
Martin, R.J., & Nelson, S. (2014). Fantasy sports, real money: Exploration of the relationship between fantasy sports participation and gambling-related problems. Addictive Behaviors, 39 (10), 1377-1382.
Martin, R. J., Usdan, S., Nelson, S., Umstattd, M. R., Laplante, D., Perko, M., et al. Using the theory of planned behavior to predict gambling behavior. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 24(1), 89-97.
Mowrer, T. W., Wimer, J.W., Mowrey, R.J., & O’Neill, D. F. (2016). A study of NCAA gambling prevention videos on gambling perceptions within a NCAA Division II baseball team. Journal of Intercollegiate Sport, 9 (2), 379-400.
National Center for Responsible Gaming. (2007). Youth and College Gambling (Vol. 1). Washington, DC.
Neighbors, C., & Larimer, M.E. (2004). Self-determination and problem gambling among college students. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 23 (4), 565-583.
Neighbors, C., Rodriguez, L.M., Rinker, D.V, Gonzales, R.G., Agana, M., Tackett, J.L., & Foster, D.W. (2015). Efficacy of personalized normative feedback as a brief intervention for college student gambling: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical psychology, 83, (3), 500.
Nelson, T.F., LaBrie, R.A., LaPlante, D.A., Stanton, M., Shaffer, H.J., & Wechsler, H. (2007). Sports betting and other gambling in athletes, fans, and other college students. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 78(4), 271-283.
Noel, J.K., Rosenthal, S.R., & Sammartino, C.J. (2022). Correlates of gambling and gambling problems among Rhode Island young adults: a cross-sectional study. Journal of Public Health
Nowak, D.E. (2018). A meta-analytical synthesis and examination of pathological and problem gambling rates and associated moderators among college students, 1987–2016. Journal of Gambling Studies, 34 (2), 465-498.
Nower, L.,Caler, K.R., Pickering, D., & Blaszczynski, A. (2018). Daily fantasy sports players: Gambling, addiction, and mental health problems. Journal of Gambling Studies 34 (3), 727-737.
Peter, S.C., Brett, E. I., Suda, M.T., Leavens, E.L.S., Miller, M., Leffingwell, T.R., Whelan, J.P., & Meyers, A.W. (2019). A meta-analysis of brief personalized feedback interventions for problematic gambling. Journal of Gambling Studies, 35 (2), 447-464.
Petry, N. M., & Weinstock, J. (2007). Internet gambling is common in college students and associated with poor mental health. American Journal on Addictions, 16(5), 325-330.
Petry, N. M., Weinstock, J., Morasco, B. J., & Ledgerwood, D. M. (2009). Brief motivational interventions for college student problem gamblers. Addiction,104(9), 1569-1578.
Richard, J., Paskus, T.S. & Derevensky, J.L. (2019). Trends in gambling behavior among college student-athletes: A comparison of 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016 NCAA survey data Journal of Gambling Issues, 41.
Rinker, D. V., Krieger, H., & Neighbors, C. (2016). Social network factors and addictive behaviors among college students. Current Addiction Reports, 3 (4), 356-367.
Rinker, D.V., Rodriguez, L.M., Krieger, H., Tackett, J. L., & Neighbors, C. (2016). Racial and ethnic differences in problem gambling among college students . Journal of Gambling Studies, 32 (2), 581-590.
Sansanwal, R., Derevensky, J.L., & Paskus, T. (2018). Trends in gambling behaviour among NCAA College student-athletes: a comparison of 2004, 2008 and 2012 NCAA survey data. International Journal of Sport & Exercise Medicine, 4, 1-12.
Shaffer, H. J., Donato, A. N., LaBrie, R. A., Kidman, R. C., & LaPlante, D. A. (2005). The epidemiology of college alcohol and gambling policies. Harm Reduction Journal, 2(1), 1.
Shaffer, H. J., Forman, D. P., Scanlan, K. M., & Smith, F. (2000). Awareness of gambling-related problems, policies and educational programs among high school and college administrators. Journal of Gambling Studies, 16(1), 93-101.
Slutske, W. S., Jackson, K. M., & Sher, K. J. (2003). The natural history of problem gambling from age 18 to 29. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 112(2), 263-274.
Tackett, J.L., Krieger, H., Neighbors, C., & Rinker, D., Rodriguez, L., & Gottheil, E. (2017). Comorbidity of alcohol and gambling problems in emerging adults: A bifactor model conceptualization. Journal of Gambling Studies, 33 (1), 131-147.
Tackett, J.L., Rodriguez, L.M., Rinker, D.V., & Neighbors, C. (2015). A personality-based latent class analysis of emerging adult gamblers Journal of Gambling Studies, 31 (4), 1337-1351.
Wang, C., Cunningham-Erdogdu, P., Steers, MM.N., Weinstein, A.P., & Neighbors, C. (2020). Stressful life events and gambling: The roles of coping and impulsivity among college students. Addictive Behaviors, 107.
Weinstock, J., & Petry, N. M. (2008). Pathological gambling college students’ perceived social support. Journal of College Student Development, 49(6), 625-632.
Weinstock, J., Whelan, J.P., & Meyers, A. (2008). College students’ gambling behavior: when does it become harmful? Journal of American College Health 56 (5), 513-522.
Weinstock, J., Whelan, J. P., Meyers, A. W., & McCausland, C. (2007). The performance of two pathological gambling screens in college students. Assessment, 14(4), 399-407.
Weiss, S. (2010). Cross-addiction on campus: More problems for student-athletes. Substance Use and Misuse, 45(10), 1525-1541.
Welte, J.W., Barnes, G.M., Tidwell, M.C., & Hoffman, J.H. (2008). The prevalence of problem gambling among U.S. adolescents and young adults: Results from a national survey. Journal of Gambling Studies, 24(2),119-133.
Wickwire, E.M., Whelan, J.P., West, R., Meyers, A., McCausland, C., & Leullen, J. (2007). Perceived availability, risks, and benefits of gambling among college students. Journal of Gambling Studies, 23(4), 395-408.
Winters, K. C., Stinchfield, R. D., Botzet, A., & Anderson, N. (2002). A prospective study of youth gambling behaviors. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 16(1), 3-9.