Ten-Year Trends in Young Adult Gambling Characteristics entering Outpatient Treatment

Session Title

Poster session

Presentation Type

Poster Presentation

Start Date

27-5-2026 12:00 AM

Abstract

This post hoc between-groups analysis examines five years of California Gambling Education and Treatment Services Program (CalGETS) outpatient data pre-COVID-19 (2015–2020; N=3,932; 129 aged ≤25) and five years post-COVID-19 onset (2020-2025; N=2,401; 122 aged ≤25) to evaluate shifts in gambling behavior among young adults, as well as differences by race, ethnicity, and educational background. CalGETS provides, no-cost treatment to individuals aged 18 years and older diagnosed with Gambling Disorder (GD) and to Affected Individuals (AI) who are exposed to another person’s problem gambling. Preliminary results suggest that sports betting doubles from 15.5% to 32.1% (p = .01), more students gambled (13.6% to 20.4% (p = .01), and gambling among young adults without income grew from 14.9% to 24.8% (p = .01), highlighting the evolving needs among vulnerable young adults. Additional findings will be presented.

Author Bios

Staff Research Associate, UCLA Integrated Substance Use and Addiction Programs (ISAP) and UCLA Gambling Studies Program (UGSP) · Full-time

Share

COinS
 
May 27th, 12:00 AM

Ten-Year Trends in Young Adult Gambling Characteristics entering Outpatient Treatment

This post hoc between-groups analysis examines five years of California Gambling Education and Treatment Services Program (CalGETS) outpatient data pre-COVID-19 (2015–2020; N=3,932; 129 aged ≤25) and five years post-COVID-19 onset (2020-2025; N=2,401; 122 aged ≤25) to evaluate shifts in gambling behavior among young adults, as well as differences by race, ethnicity, and educational background. CalGETS provides, no-cost treatment to individuals aged 18 years and older diagnosed with Gambling Disorder (GD) and to Affected Individuals (AI) who are exposed to another person’s problem gambling. Preliminary results suggest that sports betting doubles from 15.5% to 32.1% (p = .01), more students gambled (13.6% to 20.4% (p = .01), and gambling among young adults without income grew from 14.9% to 24.8% (p = .01), highlighting the evolving needs among vulnerable young adults. Additional findings will be presented.