As the availability of legalized gambling has spread, increasingly more older adults are participating in gambling activities. Although some forms of gambling are associated with negative factors affecting many aspects of life, for most older adults gambling remains a non-destructive recreational activity. In fact, previous research demonstrated that recreational gambling among older adults was associated with better mental and physical functioning and increased perceived social support. Taken together, these findings suggest that gambling is a complex phenomenon associated with a variety of positive and negative health outcomes.

The goal of this study was to identify benefits older adults may derive from recreational gambling. Specifically, it was hypothesized that relative to older non-gamblers, older adults who gamble recreationally would report increased quality of life, increased satisfaction with life, decreased loneliness, and more perceived gambling benefits. Fifty-eight recreational gamblers and 58 non-gamblers, aged 60 and older, were recruited and asked to complete a packet of questionnaires.

Results indicated that quality of life, loneliness and satisfaction with life were not significantly related to gambling status. However, recreational gamblers were found to perceive significantly more gambling benefits overall. Because the Perceived Benefits Questionnaire was developed for the current study, an exploratory factor analysis was also conducted. A three factor model was supported resulting in the retention of the following factors: Social/Emotional/Cognitive Benefits, Prominence Benefits, and Enjoyment/Entertainment Benefits. Recreational gamblers also reported significantly more social/emotional/cognitive benefits of gambling and enjoyment/entertainment benefits of gambling.

These findings suggest that although gambling status may not be significantly related to aspects of quality of life, specific benefits are reported differently for recreational gamblers and non-gamblers when measured by a gambling benefits assessment tool. The direct assessment of benefits and the functions that these benefits serve may offer clinically useful information for problem and non-problem gamblers alike.