Over the past decade, prevalence studies conducted in British Columbia have indicated that up to 4.6% of the general population could be at risk for developing a gambling problem with 0.4% of the population experiencing severe problems (Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, 2003). The population of British Columbia in 2005 slightly exceeded 4.2 million, suggesting that over 17,000 people could be experiencing a severe problem with gambling. However, problem gamblers are underrepresented among those seeking access to gambling treatment services.
Centre for Public Safety and Criminal Justice Research
