A new report released by the Iowa Department of Public Health, the Gambling Attitudes and Behaviors: A 2015 Survey of Adult Iowans, indicates about 1.6 million adult Iowans gambled during the past 12 months, and about 294,000 adults, or 13 percent, are considered at-risk for symptoms of problem gambling. Compared with the last study conducted in 2013, about 1.8 million adult Iowans had gambled in the past 12 months and 16 percent were at-risk.
The report also indicated in the past 12 months fewer than one in 10 adults reported taking part in fantasy sports, and 91 percent of those who did play also participated in other gambling activities. Researchers said 19 percent of fantasy sports players were classified as at-risk; in fact, they said those who played fantasy sports were more likely than those who did not play to be at-risk.
Eric Preuss of the IDPH Office of Problem Gambling Treatment and Prevention said, “We know the majority of Iowans who gamble do so because it’s fun and they do not have financial or emotional problems as a result of it. It’s encouraging that fewer Iowans are at risk for gambling problems, but it’s still concerning that of those surveyed, about one in four said they know someone whose gambling may be causing problems for him or her.”
