Casino industry questions research on economic costs of gambling By RICK ALM The Kansas City Star
Much of the published research on the economic cost of compulsive gambling has "deep flaws" and may overstate the problem, the U.S. casino industry said Thursday. College of Charleston economics professor Douglas M. Walker offered that conclusion in a research paper commissioned and financed by the American Gaming Association as part of its 10th anniversary white paper series. The 14-page report was released Thursday. Walker pinpointed four areas where he said current research falls short: the effects and costs of co-morbidity or co-existing disorders, findings based on questionable survey data gathered from gamblers, measurements of government costs related to problem gambling, and estimates of societal effects if legalized gambling had not come along. On the first point, Walker said: "Given that many pathological gamblers exhibit other disorders, it is difficult if not impossible to accurately estimate the social costs attributable specifically to pathological gambling. In full: http://www.kansascity.com/business/story/429696.html
