Job satisfaction, substance use, and gambling behaviour of northern Albertan casino employees
Date
2004
Authors
Dangerfield, Lyndsey
University of Lethbridge. School of Health Sciences
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, School of Health Sciences, 2004
Abstract
Relatively little is known about Canadian casino employees. The present study is a broad-based investigation intended to shed some light on this population. There were several specific areas of investigation. These included job satisfaction, substance use and abuse, gambling behaviour, gambling attitudes and beliefs, and problem gambling status. Because of this high-risk group’s excessive exposure to gambling, casino employees’ gambling behaviour may be indicative of the general adult population’s future gambling behaviour. Although there is some prior evidence of higher rates of problem gambling in this population, the causal direction of this relationship is not well established. That is, does working in a casino place employees at a higher risk for problem gambling, or does the industry actually attract problem gamblers?
The present study investigated the characteristics of 123 Canadian casino employees from two Alberta casinos. The study aimed to establish the actual impact of casino employment on substance use and gambling behaviour by means of a follow-up questionnaire that was distributed six months after the baseline questionnaire was collected. The results of the follow-up questionnaire tentatively suggest that problem gamblers are attracted to the casino industry, rather than the casino industry placing its employees at a higher risk for problem gambling. The study also found that Northern Albertan casino employees have higher rates of smoking, alcohol use, illicit drug use, medication use, gambling, and problem gambling than the general Albertan workforce.
Description
viii, 140 leaves ; 29 cm. --
Keywords
Casinos -- Employees -- Alberta, Northern , Gambling -- Employees , Casinos -- Employees -- Job satisfaction -- Alberta, Northern , Casinos -- Employees -- Substance use -- Alberta, Northern , Casinos -- Employees -- Gambling -- Alberta, Northern , Dissertations, Academic