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      Gambling machines have only been legal in Montana since 1985 and under state regulation since 1989. In the relative spectrum of things, that's a very young industry.
     But legal gambling in Montana has come of age very rapidly and by necessity.
     Other industries in Montana such as agriculture, mining or logging had more than a century to learn about their businesses--improved, more efficient methods and techniques, to be sure--but also about inadvertent and initially misunderstood environmental and even social harms that accompanied their activity.
Only during the 1990s in Montana did there emerge a recognition that with legal gambling came the potential for a few players to lose sight of the recreational intent of legal games of chance and, who would instead, indulge in gambling compulsively.
     Three attempts were made--during the 1995, 1997 and 1999 legislative sessions--to involve government and use gaming tax proceeds to initiate state-administered treatment programs. Gaming business organizations backed the legislation, but to no avail. Since then, gaming businesses and their trade associations have sponsored, on their own, problem gambler help services.
     But the 1997 Legislature funded a study of gambling in Montana to be ready for the 1999 session. That study, conducted primarily by the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Montana, provided public policy groups and lawmakers scientific information quantifying the extent of the problem of pathological gambling in Montana.
     The study found that about 3.6 percent of Montana adults have experienced a gambling problem in the last year including "past year problem gamblers"--those who have had at least one gambling problem during the past year (2 percent)--and "past year probable pathological gamblers --those who may have gambled pathologically during the past year (1.6 percent )."


      The study also said Montana problem gambler rates rose between a 1992 study and the 1998 study, up from 2.2 percent in 1992. While the percentage increased, the study noted "Montana's overall problem gambler rate is similar to other states--"
     But it is widely acknowledged that the state of the science in determining problem gambler prevalence rates in 1992 and 1998 was primitive and in need of improvement. Since then, the primary screening tools have been extensively revised to yield more scientifically accurate results and, when applied, have found earlier statistics and studies tended to overstate the problem.
     Games problem gamblers are most likely to play weekly are scratch tickets and video gaming machines. They are also likely, though less so, to play the lottery, bingo and keno weekly.
     Males make up 47.1 percent of problem gamblers; females 52.9 percent. A breakdown by age shows 31.4 percent of problem gamblers are 40 years old or older; 34.3 percent are 30-39 and 34.3 percent are 18-29.
     More than two out of three problem gamblers are married while 72.2 percent have high school diplomas and some college; 91.3 percent of them were employed or out of the work force while 8.3 percent were unemployed; about two out of three had incomes of $15,000-$50,000 and 11.8 percent earned over $50,000 per year.
     The study concluded, since problem gamblers were widely distributed over demographic categories, help services should be widely targeted, too.
     About 10 percent of problem or pathological gamblers have filed for bankruptcy (about one-third of one percent of the adult population).
     The study compared crime rates in Montana cities against crime rates in similar cities in states that have no gambling. When it did so, the study concluded that "Montana's overall crime rate increase is not any higher than the increases in the matched cities with little or no legal gambling."
     In fact, in almost three-fourths of the specific comparisons carried out, crime rates rose more (or decreased less) in the matched cities (with no gambling) than in the Montana cities.
     The study, when using a different statistical approach called "regression analysis," concluded problem gambling cannot be correlated with arson, forgery, fraud, embezzlement, domestic abuse, motor vehicle theft, stolen property, simple or aggravated assault, prostitution, illegal gambling, disorderly conduct, murder, rape or sex, drug, family and liquor offenses.
     Gambling was statistically correlated with vandalism, burglary, larceny, driving under the influence, weapons offenses and robbery.
     However, crime rates in these categories have all declined since the study was completed, even as gambling activity has increased.
     No further studies on problem gambling have been conducted since the 1998 study.
     The 1998 Montana study found Montana's rate of problem gambling was lower than some states, higher than others, but about in the middle of the pack.

Source: Special Reports I,published and distributed to 180,000 households state-wide, winter 2001 by Continental Communications, 125 W. Granite St., Suite 102, Butte, MT 59701; Montana Gambling Study Commission report to the Montana Legislature, 1998.