Problem Gambling May be Tied to Brain Impairment

by Stuart Shepard, correspondent Study shows playing the odds may be related to brain dysfunction. The authors of a small study from Buenos Aires, Argentina, say pathological gamblers may have a problem in the decision-making center of their brains. The report indicated that some of the impairment may influence how gamblers weigh the short-term reward against the long-term negative impact. The study showed that pathological gamblers exhibit poor decision-making skills similar to people with brain lesions. Tom Tucker with the Compulsive Gambling Institute said if the research bears out, it could change the perception of problem gambling as simply a moral failure. "The more research that we have that explains and points to a causation between brain function and pathological gambling behavior," Tucker said, "(means) I think that the public policy makers will then have to approach it differently, similarly to alcoholism." The new findings may help answer the questions many have asked: "How could a person . . . spend their rent money or their mortgage money or the food money for the home, when clearly this is going to be a problem down the road?" He said the knowledge of interrupted brain function might be a catalyst for more support for education and treatment programs. Chad Hills, the gambling research analyst at Focus on the Family, said the new study fits in with other research about pathological gamblers. "Earl Grinols, an economist out of Baylor University, estimates that between two thirds to eighty percent of all gambling revenue comes from only ten percent of the players," Hills said. "Gambling is truly a predatory industry," he added. "It capitalizes on the weaknesses of people."