Religion and problem gambling in the US

The growth of legal gambling in the United States over the past 10-15 years has been phenomenal. This growth has directed increased attention to the p otential problems of gambling behavior. For example, many religious organiz ations have spoken out in opposition to legalized gambling and discouraged members from gambling. However, little research has addressed the impact of religious practices or beliefs on gambling behavior or problems. This stud y uses a nation ally representative sample of adults in the U.S. (n = 2,406 ) to test the proposition that attendance at religious services and importa nce of faith in God attenuate the likelihood of problem gambling. The resul ts of a Poisson GEE model indicate that frequent attenders are less likely than others to report gambling problems, but that importance of faith in Go d has no effect on problem gambling. This suggests that the social integrat ion afforded by religious attendance is more important than intrapersonal r eligious salience in affecting problem forms of gambling.