Whether you’re a young adult just getting your first phone or an older adult looking for an activity to pass the time, gambling serves as a growing form of entertainment for many. With a billion-dollar market share that’s still on the rise, there are advancements every single day poised to make gambling more accessible for all. Amidst relaxed laws and regulations, finding transportation to gambling sites has never been easier, and there is a fascinating relationship between transportation and high-gambling areas. Understanding this connection can keep young and older adults aware of how gambling affects their lives.
Gambling, Tourism, and Transportation
Gambling tourism refers to individuals who travel to a particular destination specifically for gambling. Gambling tourism has grown mostly because it’s a way to kill two birds with one stone. Now you can travel to a location you’ve always wanted and enjoy it while playing the slots. Plenty of tour operators have added casino visits to their bus tours, allowing new visitors to engage with the gambling industry. Places like hotels, restaurants, and other tourist locations have grown as individuals flock toward casinos. This has increased the demand for elegant buildings and restaurants and smoother transportation in and around these areas.
How Easy Is it to Get to a Casino?
Transportation and casinos have a unique relationship. With so many visitors to casinos and other gambling locations, transport is essential for getting to and from each venue. Driving a car in Las Vegas or Atlantic City can be extremely difficult and costly for most people, especially during busy days. Las Vegas is searching for ways to expand its public transportation methods to create more convenient ways to travel.
While Atlantic City has fewer casinos than Las Vegas, it still sees a significant level of traffic. This city is filled with public transportation methods, and its proximity to airports in the city (Atlantic City International Airport) and further from the town (Newark Liberty International Airport, JFK, and Philadelphia International Airport) makes traveling to the site easier than ever before. With plenty of rail systems, taxis, and other ride-sharing services, these locations are the standard for the gambling industry, which will only continue to grow.
Older Adults and Ease of Transportation
Older adults are one of the largest demographics for gambling, and over the past few years, rates of gambling amongst older adults have stayed relatively stagnant. While problem gambling rates have been slightly lower for adults over the age of 55, a few things put older adults at risk for problem gambling. Some of these conditions include:
- Older adults often deal with financial constraints that make it tougher to recover their gambling losses.
- Increased isolation or a lack of social support and interaction can make it harder for older adults to cope with gambling losses.
- Fewer options for leisure mean older adults turn to the simplicity of gambling as a means of relaxation, which can lead to difficulty finding alternatives if problem gambling occurs.
This means older adults should pay close attention to promotional activities and materials that draw them closer to casinos. One of those activities is casino bus tours and — more broadly — the simplicity of finding transportation to casino sites. For older adults, traveling may not be as simple as hopping in a car, nor is it always the more fun option.
Casino bus tours or other transportation options make it easy to get to gambling sites and find individuals who love to gamble. Older individuals on bus tours were likelier to play slot machines and visited casinos more often than others. This, in turn, leads to a higher rate of problem gambling. As locations become more aware of the benefits of providing transportation and technological advancements make it easier to transport individuals, older adults must be more aware of how they might be drawn to gambling and its effects.
How to Prevent Problem Gambling Amongst Such Vast Transportation Options
With so many ways to find a gambling site or location, a premium should be placed on understanding gambling behaviors when things might be going too far. Keep in mind things like:
- Are you constantly looking to attend gambling sites?
- Has gambling become less than fun and enjoyable and more stressful and taxing?
- Are you missing important life moments to gamble?
- Are you distracted from work by the desire to gamble?
These are just some questions you can ask yourself if you feel gambling has gone too far. In this case, 800-GAMBLER can provide problem gambling help for yourself or support for friends and family before gambling problems worsen. Finding transportation to casinos and other locations is easy, and finding a help meeting or additional support for gambling problems should be just as widely available. Call 1-800-GAMBLER today to find the help you or a loved one might need.