(PS6-D83) The Relation Between Alcohol Consumption and Gambling in a Naturalistic Setting

Alcohol is accessible and frequently consumed by those who are actively gambling leading to concerns that drinking alcohol increases harmful risk-taking. A recent meta-analysis of laboratory studies on the effects of acute alcohol consumption on risk-taking did not support that consumption of alcohol increased risk-taking. The question remains whether this finding would also appear among those gambling in naturalistic settings. To bring data to bear on this question, we examined the self-reported gambling behavior of frequent gamblers including some who did and some who did not consume alcohol while gambling. The specific aims were to (1) examine the differences in gambling behavior between frequent gamblers who simultaneously drink and gamble and those who do not; and (2) explore whether those who reported simultaneously drinking and gambling were at moderate to high risk for gambling problems compared to those who did not. As rates of gambling disorder are highest among those who gamble weekly or more, a sample of frequent gamblers may reveal important information related to gambling disorder.

Participants were recruited via MTurk as part of a larger study of gambling behavior. Participants were at least 18 years old, were U.S. residents, and gambled at least once per week (N = 769). Measures included the following: Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI); questions assessing alcohol use and alcohol use while gambling; questions assessing gambling frequency, intensity, and duration; and a demographics questionnaire.

A multiple binary logistic regression was used to predict simultaneous drinking and gambling. The model included gambling days per week, time spent gambling per episode, money spent while gambling, and PGSI score. Number of drinking days per month and all relevant demographic variables were included as possible covariates. None of the gambling behavior variables (days per week, hours per day or amount risked per session) were significant predictors of gambling under the influence of alcohol.

Number of drinking days per month and PGSI score were significant predictors of simultaneous drinking and gambling and were retained in the final model. All other variables were removed. Those who reported gambling while under the influence of alcohol were more likely to report more average drinking days per month (p < .001, OR = 1.56) compared to those who did not. Consistent with previous research, those who reported consuming alcohol while gambling were more likely to be at moderate to high risk for gambling problems (p < .001, OR = 2.95) compared to those who did not.

These findings, while correlational, were consistent with the recent meta-analysis of laboratory studies examining the effects of acute alcohol consumption on risk-taking. Specifically, acute alcohol consumption was not found to be systematically related to the self-reported gambling behavior of frequent gamblers. However, finding that gambling disorder symptoms and overall rates of alcohol consumption were related to drinking while gambling replicated the frequently found relation of alcohol problems among those who also exhibit gambling problems.