One of the keys to preventing problem gambling is through education (and awareness).  Several innovative programs have been developed to help educate young people on the topic of gambling (see links via above menu)  However, these programs can’t help if state officials, school and university administrators and public health organizations are not part of a coordinated effort in seeing this information delivered.  For example, a recent article in “The Chronicle of Higher Education Review” (Wolfe, 10/12/07) argues gambling has received “uneven attention” in both teaching and research at universities in the U.S., when considering its recent growth as an industry and leisure activity.  Likewise, researchers at Harvard have noted that most colleges and universities do not have campus gambling policies in place (and they argue that this is another missed opportunity to teach students about responsible gambling).

An important factor in understanding how problem gambling occurs, is to examine the nature of different gambling activities.  Similar to other types of leisure pursuits, it has been argued that one of the motivations to gamble is to modulate mood and emotion.  Researchers are beginning to explore the differences in gambling forms and how their unique qualities and subsequent mental and emotional effects draw certain types of participants (and how this might impact problem gambling and types of treatment). 

The action gambler is often drawn to the adrenaline rush that gambling can produce and gravitates to more ‘skill- like’ games, such as poker or sports betting. Action gamblers are often male.

The escape gambler tends to be drawn to ‘mindless’ types of games (such as scratch-offs or slot machines), where they can become absorbed and lost in the process, temporarily forgetting about their problems. An escape gambler is typically female, although the lines between action and escape can be easily blurred (especially with internet gambling). People can use gambling for both of the above purposes at different times and with different games.