1. Gambling among Minnesota American Indian Public School Students
Randy Stinchfield, Ph.D., LP
Department of Psychiatry
University of Minnesota Medical School

2. American Indians in Minnesota
Seven Anishinaabe communities (also known as Ojibwe or Chippewa) in the north; and
Four Dakota (also know as Sioux) communities in the south
In the 2000 Census, 81,074 Minnesotans reported AI and one or more other race (2000 Census data;

3. Commercial Gambling in Minnesota
More than 3,000 lottery retail outlets
More than 3,000 charitable gambling sites
18 tribal casinos
Two racetracks with card rooms
Advertising on television, radio, newspaper, billboards, and at sporting events

4. Tribal Gambling: A Two-edged Sword
On the one hand, tribal gambling has improved the lives of many tribal members. Tribal gambling has become the “New Buffalo” for some AI communities, bringing needed economic development to reservations.
On the other hand, some tribal members gamble in tribal casinos and risk becoming addicted .
And what about gambling among AI youth?

5. First Generation of AI Youth
This is the first generation of AI youth to be exposed to easy access to a variety of gambling venues and widespread gambling advertising
The class of 2010 was born a couple years after the onset of the state lottery and casino gambling, so they have been exposed to gambling their entire lives

6. Research on gambling among Native American and First Nations youth
A recent review of problem gambling in North American Indian/First Nations populations by Wardman, el-Guebaly, and Hodgins (2001), found only four published articles: three from MN (Peacock, Day & Peacock,1999; Stinchfield, 1997; and Zitzow, 1996) and one from Alberta (Hewitt & Auger, 1995).
Findings of the review: American Indian/First Nations adolescents have higher rates of gambling and problem gambling than their non-Indian peers.

7. Youth Gambling a Concern
With the rapid expansion of gambling have also come concerns about youth gambling and youth problem gambling
Underage gambling is a particular concern since it is illegal and may put youth at risk for problem gambling
Concerns about time and money spent gambling and of the risk of addiction
Tribal elders, public health officials, policy makers, teachers, and parents want to know the extent of youth gambling and problem gambling and what can be done to prevent it

8. Research Questions How often do Minnesota AI youth gamble?
What games do AI youth play most frequently?
Are there differences in gambling frequency between boys and girls and between young and older youth?
Is Minnesota AI youth gambling on the rise?
How many underage AI youth gamble on the lottery and in casinos?
Are there differences in gambling frequency and gambling problems between AI youth and non-AI peers?

9. Three Specific Aims
1. Measure 2010 rates of gambling and underage gambling among AI public school students and compare rates of gambling between boys and girls, young and older youth
2. Compare rates of gambling, frequent gambling, and underage gambling from 1992 to 2010
3. Compare AI to non-AI students on frequent gambling in 2010

10. 2007 MSS Gambling Items
During the last 12 months, how often have you done these activities?
Played cards for money
Bet money on games of personal skill like pool, golf, or bowling
Bet money on sports teams or horseracing
Bought lottery tickets or scratch offs
Gambled in a casino
Gambled for money online

11. Five-point Response Options
Not at all
Less than once a month
About once a month
About once a week
Daily

12. Race/ethnicity Item on Minnesota Student Survey
How do you describe yourself? (Mark all that apply)
American Indian
Black or African American
Mexican American or Chicano/Chicana
Puerto Rican or other Latin American
Asian American or Pacific Islander (including Cambodian, Hmong, Korean, Laotian, Vietnamese)
White
I don’t know

13. 2010 Minnesota AI Student Sample
Race
Count %
AI only
864
26.4
AI and one or more other race
2,404
73.6
Column Total
3,268
100

14. 2010 Minnesota AI Student Sample by Gender and Grade
Boys
Girls
Row Total
9th
1,021
1,172
2,193
12th
524
551
1,075
Column Total
1,545
1,723
3,268

15. First Specific Aim
Measure 2010 rates of gambling and underage gambling among AI public school students and compare rates of gambling between boys and girls, and 9th and 12th grade youth.

16. Gambling by Gender and Grade (2010)

17. 2010 Gambling by Gender and Grade
Over half of 9th grade boys gamble
Almost one-third of 9th grade girls gamble
Three-fourths of 12th grade boys gamble
Over half of 12th grade girls gamble
More boys gamble than girls
More 12th grade students gamble than 9th grade students

18. Frequent Gambling by Gender and Grade (2010)

19. 2010 Frequent Gambling by Gender and Grade
Less than one in ten girls is a frequent gambler
More boys gamble frequently than girls
More 12th grade students gamble frequently than 9th grade students

20. 2010 Youth Frequent Gambling
The games played frequently by 9th grade boys were informal games of cards, games of personal skill, and sports betting
The games played frequently by 12th grade boys were cards, games of personal skill, the lottery, and casino
The games played frequently by 9th grade girls were cards and games of personal skill
The games played frequently by 12th grade girls were lottery and casino
More 12th grade students play legalized games frequently than 9th grade students and there appears to be a shift from play of informal games to legalized/commercial gambling as boys and girls get older

21. Underage Gambling
Underage is defined as playing a legalized form of gambling by youth under the legal age of 18
There are three types of legalized gambling on the MSS:
(1) Lottery;
(2) Casino; and
(3) Online gambling

22. Underage Gambling by Gender and Game/Venue (2010)

23. Underage Gambling (2010)
Most underage youth did not play legalized games
More boys engaged in underage gambling than girls

24. Comparison of AI Students to their non-AI Peers on Weekly/Daily Casino Gambling (2010)

25. Compare AI Students to their non-AI Peers on Frequent Gambling
More AI students gambled frequently than their non-AI peers on most games/venues and the contrast was most striking for girls
The ratio of AI boys who were frequent gamblers ranged from 1 to 2 times that of their non-AI peers
The ratio of AI girls who were frequent gamblers ranged from 2 to 4 times that of their non-AI peers

26. Second Specific Aim: Compare Trends from 1992 to 2010
The Minnesota Student Survey has AI 9th and 12th grade sample sizes of:
725 in 1992 (fewer AI students in 1992 due to race item allowed only one race)
2,178 in 1995
2,160 in 1998
2,447 in 2001
2,743 in 2004
3,496 in 2007
3,268 in 2010

27. Gambling at all and Gambling weekly/daily by Gender

28. Second Specific Aim: Gambling Trends from 1992 to 2010
Gambling rates declined from 75% in 1992 to 50% in 2010
Boys’ gambling declined from 87% in 1992 to 64% in 2010
Girls’ gambling declined from 64% in 1992 to 38% in 2010
There were fewer AI students gambling in 2010 than were gambling in 1992

29. Second Specific Aim: Frequent gambling trends: 1992 to 2010
Frequent gambling rates showed a modest decline from 21% in 1992 to 13% in 2010
Boys’ frequent gambling declined from 27% in 1992 to 20% in 2010
Girls’ frequent gambling declined from 14% in 1992 to 7% in 2010
There were fewer AI students gambling frequently in 2010 than were gambling frequently in 1992

30. Gambling Weekly/Daily by 9th Grade Boys by Game

31. 9th Grade Boys Frequent Gambling Trends from 1992 to 2010
Declines in most games from 2004 to 2010
Large fluctuations for cards, sports betting, betting on games of skill, and the lottery with peaks for these games in 1998 with subsequent declines in 2010
Casino gambling was fairly stable but also showed declines from 2001 to 2010
There were fewer 9th grade boys gambling frequently in 2010 than in 1992

32. Gambling Weekly/Daily by 12th Grade Boys by Game

33. 12th Grade Boys Frequent Gambling Trends from 1992 to 2010
Declines in every game from 2004 to 2010
Large fluctuations for cards, sports betting, betting on games of skill, and the lottery with peaks in the early 2000 with subsequent declines
Casino gambling showed gradual declines from 2001 to 2010
There were fewer 12th grade boys gambling frequently in 2010 than in all previous years

34. Gambling Weekly/Daily by 9th Grade Girls by Game

35. 9th Grade Girls Frequent Gambling Trends from 1992 to 2010
Declines in cards, sports betting and casino gambling from 2004 to 2010
No significant change in any game from 2007 to 2010
Lottery play showed gradual declines from 1992 to 2010 and has been cut by more than half from 5% to 2%
Casino gambling has been fairly stable around 1% from 1998 to 2010
There were fewer 9th grade girls gambling frequently in 2010 (6%) than in 1992 (14%)

36. Gambling Weekly/Daily by 12th Grade Girls by Game

37. 12th Grade Girls Frequent Gambling Trends from 1992 to 2010
Little change in frequent gambling from 2007 to 2010
Lottery play peaked in 2001 at 12% and has subsequently declined by half to 6% in 2010
Most games were stable from 2007 to 2010 except casino gambling which decreased from 4.3% in 2007 to 3.4% in 2010
There were fewer girls gambling frequently in (9%) than in 1992 (13%)

38. Trends in Frequent Gambling
Frequent gambling is engaged in by a small percentage of youth, and it has been fairly stable from 1992 to 2010 with a couple exceptions:
(1) A peak in lottery play in 1998 by 12th grade boys and a peak in 2001 for 12th grade girls
(2) Card playing has declined significantly from 2001 to 2010

39. Why are fewer AI youth gambling?
Your guess?
Novelty of gambling may have worn off
Prevention efforts have been effective
Youth may be spending their time and money on other activities
Downturn in the economy; youth have less spending money

40. Trends in Underage Lottery and Casino Gambling by Gender

41. Trends in Underage Lottery and Casino Gambling
High rates of underage lottery play by boys and girls starting in 1992 with consistent declines from 1992 to 2010
Boys underage casino gambling showed consistent modest declines from 1998 to 2010
Girls underage casino gambling is relatively uncommon and has been fairly stable at about 2-4% from 1998 to 2007
Underage online gambling has shown declines from 2007 to 2010 for both boys and girls

42. Changes from 1992 to 2010
The percentage of 9th and 12th grade boys playing cards frequently, was cut in half from 2004 to 2010
9th grade girls also showed a drop by half from 2004 to 2010 and 12th grade girls were stable at 3% in 2004, 2007 and 2010
This data bears out the decline in the popularity of poker
Significant reductions in underage lottery play and casino gambling

43. Concerns Identified in this Study
First, there is a small but substantial segment of the AI youth population (7% of girls and 20% of boys) that are frequent gamblers
Second, AI youth have higher rates of frequent gambling than their non-AI peers, particularly for girls
Third, underage AI youth report playing the lottery, gambling in casinos and gambling online

44. Recommendations
Youth gamble, so we need to teach them that if they choose to gamble, they need to follow guidelines about time and money in order to avoid negative consequences of gambling and also about the warning signs of developing problem gambling
Some youth may only need information to assist them in making informed and healthy decisions about gambling
Some youth who are already over-involved in gambling will require more intensive prevention and intervention efforts
Develop and evaluate youth gambling awareness and prevention programs

45. Future Research Directions
Explore validity of underage casino gambling
Explore why AI youth have higher rates of gambling than their non-AI peers
Measure gambling among youth out of the mainstream, that is, youth in alternative learning centers and juvenile detention centers
Explore which correlates of gambling may serve as risk and protective factors that will have implications for public awareness and prevention

46. Final Thoughts
For most adolescents, informal gambling is an infrequent and harmless pastime. However, the risk exists that informal gambling may develop into problem gambling, and therefore, youths require accurate information about the inherent risks of gambling.
The goal is that within the context of easy access to gambling, we will provide resources to youth to assist them in making healthy and informed decisions about their own gambling behavior

47. For more information
Contact Randy Stinchfield, Ph.D.:
References:
Stinchfield, R. (2011). Gambling among Minnesota Public School Students from 1992 to 2010: Declines in Youth Gambling. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 25(1),
Stinchfield, R., & Winters, K. C. (2004). Adolescents and young adults. In J. E. Grant & M. N. Potenza (Eds.), Pathological gambling: A clinical guide to treatment (pp ). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.
Stinchfield, R. (2002). Youth Gambling: How Big a Problem? Psychiatric Annals, 32,
Stinchfield, R. (2001). A comparison of gambling among Minnesota public school students in 1992, 1995, and Journal of Gambling Studies, 17,
Stinchfield, R. (2000). Gambling and correlates of gambling among Minnesota public school students. Journal of Gambling Studies, 16,
Stinchfield, R., Cassuto, N., Winters, K., & Latimer, W. (1997). Prevalence of gambling among Minnesota Public School Students in 1992 and Journal of Gambling Studies, 13,