New partnerships aim to improve access and outcomes

The Virginia Partnership for Gaming and Health is leading the charge to collect and analyze statewide data on gambling to ensure prevention, treatment and recovery resources are aligned with community needs. By studying gambling behaviors, co-occurring conditions and risk amplifiers, VPGH can anticipate emerging needs and strengthen the state’s capacity to meet them.

Two new partnerships are deepening this work by researching and providing targeted care to key populations: college students and older adults.

Caring for collegiate students

The mission of Rams in Recovery is simple: to ensure that students at Virginia Commonwealth University don’t have to choose between their recovery and their education. The organization organizes recovery meetings, provides access to on-campus recovery housing, and hosts training sessions—all in service of creating a support campus environment.

“Students in recovery often have different challenges than other college students,” says Tom Bannard, Assistant Director for Recovery Support. “We offer peer-based services that provide the social support for students to be successful. Substance use can be a big part of campus culture and having [a place to go] that is explicitly not that—that embraces students in recovery—is really important.”

While Rams in Recovery has traditionally focused on substance use, coordinating with VPGH expands their support to students who struggle with problem gambling. Substance use and problem gambling often co-occur, and this working relationship will ensure students can get referrals to trained providers in the VPGH network when needed.

VPGH will also serve as an internship site for students seeking to become a certified peer recovery specialist through Rams in Recovery’s training program. These coaches use their own lived experiences to connect with students at all stages of their recovery journey and refer them to providers and other resources in the community.

“There are a lot of parallels [between substance use disorder and problem gambling], and it’s a space where peer support makes a big difference,” Bannard says. “VPGH is creating high-quality jobs for professional peers, and they’re continuing to provide professional development and education. That’s important to the larger field of peer recovery.”

Understanding and supporting older adults

Much attention has been placed on increased problem gambling among young people following the rise of increased legalized sports betting, gambling apps, and prediction markets. But older adults are also susceptible, with gambling offering an avenue for entertainment and socialization. Adults aged 55 and older make up nearly 20% of problem gambling helpline callers nationwide, and 30% of referrals to VPGH. Some estimates suggest that 70 to 80% of older adults have gambled in the past year, and 20% of those who regularly visit casinos may be at risk for problem gambling.

To better understand the prevalence and behaviors of this demographic, VPGH is partnering with Leland “Bert” Waters, Ph.D., Associate Director of the Virginia Center on Aging at VCU; Pam Teaster, Professor and Director of the Center for Gerontology at Virginia Tech; and Brian Unwin, M.D., a geriatrician and Professor at Virginia Tech. Through the study, researchers will interview older adults aged 50 and up about their lived experiences with gambling-related harm and when seeking support.

Waters was first introduced to problem gambling in the early 2000s when he produced a booklet for older adults about the intersection of gambling, substance use disorder and depression. Unlike the “active gambling” that’s common among younger, male gamblers, Waters found that older adults often begin gambling following the loss of a spouse or other significant person in their lives.

“They were typically female, had some level of depression and low self-esteem, and they gambled at luck games rather than skill games,” he says. “They were often drawn to gambling to escape reality.”

In the 20 years since that research, however, the landscape has changed. Casinos are easier than ever to access, and online apps put gambling in the palm of your hand. In addition, older adults remain vulnerable to social isolation due to bereavement, retirement and chronic health conditions, and gambling venues are still perceived as a safe and socially engaging environment.

To more effectively serve older adults, researchers need to first understand how their gambling began and progressed; its impact on their lives; when and how they look for help; and any gaps in their recovery needs.

“Older adults may not view gambling as a problem, but as a form of recreation,” Waters says. “However, gambling can become problematic when it consumes one's life resources and potentially one's independence.”

 

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