Older gamblers risk losing control

Researchers have found a link between problem gambling and old age, according to a report by Reuters, and used on the ABC Science show, on the radio.

Loss of self-control in old age may lead to problem gambling, an Australian study has found. But the study’s lead author says problems are only likely to occur in people who already gamble.

Lead author and psychologist, Professor Bill von Hippel, of the University of Queensland, says this study is significant considering Australia has one of the highest gambling expenditures in the world.

“And older adults are the demographic showing the greatest increase in gambling problems,” he says.

As a result, the study published in a recent edition of Aging, Neuropsychology and Cognition, may have consequences for gaming policies in the future.

Professor von Hippel says shrinking or atrophy of the frontal lobes of the brain, a normal part of ageing, can reduce the brain’s ability to plan and alter behaviour, making self-control more difficult.

His research showed that older adults who had difficulty with self-control were more likely to have gambling problems.

But, Professor von Hippel says it’s important to understand that although most older adults will develop losses in the frontal lobes as a result of aging, this doesn’t mean all older adults have gambling problems. He says gambling problems only develop in older people who already enjoy gambling.

He also says loss of self-control is only one factor that can lead to problem gambling. Impulsiveness, superstition and absence of social relationship can also be contributing factors, he says.

The study also found that problem gambling leads to financial stress and depression.

“It suggests that in older people these gambling problems are really serious,” he concluded.