Scoping Review About Gambling and Gambling Problems In Older Adults

The development and manifestation of gambling-related problems is\r\nunevenly distributed in the general population. Socio-demographic change and an\r\nageing population raise the question of the relevance of gambling and gamblingrelated\r\nproblems among senior citizens. Against this background, a comprehensive\r\nscoping review about the state of research on gambling among older adults (≥ 60\r\nyears) regarding gambling patterns, gambling-related problems, and\r\nrisk/protective factors was conducted. We analyzed 34 representative population\r\nstudies from 2010 to 2023. Findings suggest that while gambling is not rare among\r\nthe elderly, they do not have a universally higher likelihood of gambling problems\r\ncompared to younger cohorts. One reason for this could be that this age group\r\nprefers lottery-type gambles with lower addictive potential and rather avoid online\r\ngambling and thus gambling forms with higher addictive potential. Many findings\r\nare heterogeneous, but mirror results for younger cohorts, such as men gambling\r\nmore than women, and the presence of psychiatric comorbidities in problematic\r\ngamblers. Uniquely, somatic comorbidities (cardiovascular diseases and diabetes)\r\nare also identified. In sum, a greater focus on trajectories and on the lifetime history\r\nof gambling is needed as well as a comparison of elderly gamblers both with other\r\nelderly and other age groups, to better identify effects unique to the elderly\r\ngamblers. Reasons for the high heterogeneity in findings (like different screening\r\nmethods, variable definitions of “elderly”, different legislations) as well as\r\nadvances in research on gambling in the elderly are discussed. Practical\r\napplications and recommendations are presented.