Problem Gambling and Social Stratification in Italy

Considering the international literature on gambling and problem gambling, the aim of this study is to test the hypothesis that excessive gambling - pointing out a problem gambling (PG) profile - is more prevalent among sections of the population with a lower socio-economic status. In particular, theoretical approaches to social stratification of gambling - maintaining that propensity to gamble would be higher among individuals of lower social strata - will be extended to problem gamblers.

In this research, gambling behaviour is defined by using one of the most popular screening tools, the Canadian Problem Gambling Index (CPGI), a structured questionnaire exploring focal gambling issues, in order to distinguish and classify behaviour of social, low risk, moderate risk and problem gambling.

In order to give an answer to the research question (What is the association between socio-economic status and gambling behaviour?) the data emerging from the Italian Population Survey on Alcohol and other Drugs (IPSAD) will be analysed. The IPSAD survey, conducted in three waves (2008, 2011 and 2014) by the Italian National Research Council (CNR), is a prevalence study on alcohol, other psychoactive legal/illegal substances and risk-taking behaviours in the general population (the residents in Italy between 15 and 74 years of age). It follows the guidelines provided by the European Monitoring Centre for Drug and Drug Abuse (EMCDDA). The writer has the opportunity to rely on the collected data (roughly 10,000 respondents) to develop an analysis by using multivariate statistics.