The prevalence and types of gambling among undocumented mexican immigrants in New York City

Sandra L. Momper, Vijay Nandi, Danielle C. Ompad, Jorge Delva, Sandro Galea

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Objectives To examine the prevalence of gambling and types of gambling activities in a sample of undocumented Mexican immigrants. Design Non-probability cross-sectional design. Setting New York City. Sample The 431 respondents ranged in age from 18 to 80 (mean age 32), 69.7% were male. Results More than half (53.8%) reported gambling in their lifetime and of those most (43.9%) played scratch and win tickets or the lottery. In multivariate analyses men reported gambling more than women [2.13, 95% CI = (1.03, 4.38)]. The odds of gambling in their lifetime were higher among those reporting sending money to family or friends in the home country [2.65, 95% CI = 1.10, 6.38)], and those who reported 1-5 days as compared to no days of poor mental health in the past 30 days [2.44, 95% CI = 1.22, 4.89)]. Conversely, those who reported entering the U.S. to live after 1996 were less likely to report gambling [0.44, 95% CI = (0.22, 0.89)] as compared to those who had lived in the U.S. longer. Conclusion There is a need to further explore both the prevalence and the severity of gambling amongst the growing population of undocumented Mexican immigrants in the U.S.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)49-65
Number of pages17
JournalJournal of Gambling Studies
Volume25
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2009

Keywords

  • Illegal immigrants
  • Minorities
  • Prevalence and types of gambling
  • Problem gambling
  • Undocumented Mexicans

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Sociology and Political Science
  • Psychology(all)

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The prevalence and types of gambling among undocumented mexican immigrants in New York City'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this