ABSTRACT
Consequently, PGD has a myriad of negative consequences for individuals, families, and communities. The seminal Gambling Impact and Behavior Study estimated the societal cost of PG and PGD to be $5 billion in the form of health care costs and productivity losses (Gerstein et al., 1999). For example, Thompson, Gazel, and Rickman (2012) found that economic costs include lost work time, unemployment, bad debt, theft, civil court costs, criminal justice system costs, and other costs, which totaled $8,681 and $15,994 per taxpayer, per problem gambler, in Wisconsin and Connecticut, respectively. Important correlates of PGD include divorce (Black, Shaw, McCormick, & Allen, 2012), job loss (Gerstein et al., 1999), and poor self-rated health (Black, Shaw, McCormick, & Allen, 2013).
