U. research to be used to improve state resources on gambling addiction

Last week, Matthew Platkin, New Jersey's Attorney General, announced the release of a study detailing gambling in the state, according to a press release.

The study, titled "The Prevalence of Online and Land-Based Gambling in New Jersey," is the second state report from a division of the Rutgers School of Social Work, the Center for Gambling Studies, and the first state report since Gov. Phil Murphy (D-N.J.) legalized sports betting in the summer of 2018.

Platkin said there is a responsibility for the state to help those dealing with gambling issues as the state's gaming industry has expanded over recent years.

"Through the release of this report, we are taking a comprehensive look at the pervasiveness of gambling across the state, and with it, able to better identify challenges for our most vulnerable populations and design programs and initiatives to assist them," he said.

The report examines changes since the previous report, released in 2017, and finds that both low, medium and high-risk gambling slightly decreased, and the state's rate of problematic gambling is still three times the national average.

The report also found that 61 percent of the 3,512 residents surveyed had gambled in the past year and those who self-identified as gamblers participated in slightly more gambling activities than self-identified gamblers in the previous 2017 report.

The research study was conducted by the Rutgers Center for Gambling Studies and funded by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE).

The research will be used to improve oversight and regulations of gambling in New Jersey by the DGE and other relevant state agencies.

"This report provides evidence to guide prevention and education efforts for those at highest risk for gambling problems: Younger adults, members of ethnic and racial minority groups and those who gamble on multiple activities and bet both online and in land-based venues," Lia Nower, director of the Rutgers Center for Gambling Studies, said in the release.