Sex Differences in Gaming Machine Gambling 1 Running head: SEX DIFFERENCES IN GAMING MACHINE GAMBLING Sex differences in pathological gambling using gaming machines1

With recent introduction of poker machines in Australia, there have been claims of increases in the number of women with gambling-related problems. Research in the United States indicates however, that men have a higher incidence of pathological gambling. The aims of this study were to ascertain among game machine users in a major city in Australia whether (a) more women than men exhibited symptoms of pathological gambling, (b) women reported higher guilt associated with their gambling, and (c) gamblers' self-assessment on several mood states was predictive of pathological gambling. A modified version of the South Oaks Gambling Screen was administered to 104 users of game machines (44 men, 60 women) sampled from patrons at gaming venues in Melbourne, Australia. Data indicated no significant sex difference in the proportion of pathological gamblers, or in gambling-related guilt. Self-assessment of Happiness, Propensity for Boredom, and Loneliness, significantly predicted scores on the South Oaks Gambling Screen, with Unhappiness a significant independent predictor of pathological gambling. This may suggest that gambling acts to fill a need in the lives of unhappy people or that individuals who lack control over their gambling report higher unhappiness. Gambling is entrenched in the Australian culture, from the traditional gambling game (two-up) on national holidays to betting on the Melbourne Cup which " stops " the nation on the first Tuesday in November. Although fascination with gambling activities is not unique to Australia, Australians have been described as a nation of " punters " (gamblers who bet on horse racing). Perhaps in no other nation but Australia could a race horse (the New Zealand-bred Phar Lap) become a cultural icon symbolising hope and courage in the Depression era.