A new study has shown that Iowans believe gambling has a positive economic impact, but has a negative impact on family life.

Tahira Hira, a professor in human development and family studies, spoke to an auditorium of 450 people about the results of the statewide poll focusing on gambling.

Hira’s presentation was part of the day-long gambling conference sponsored by the College of Family and Consumer Sciences at the Scheman Building on Thursday, Oct. 31.

“Gambling: Impact on Work, Family, and Family Finances,” Hira’s presentation, was based on two objectives. The first objective was to ascertain the use of credit cards and level of credit card debt among gamblers. The second was to ascertain the impact of gambling on work, family relations and family finances.

Hira said 1,068 people from Des Moines educational sessions participated in the poll. Six members of a gambling anonymous group in Des Moines also participated.

“We had a very diversified group of people attend these sessions,” Hira said.

The majority of the participants, she said, were employed and use credit cards, ATM machines and consolidated loans. Over 55 percent have gambling status. Of those with gambling status, 51 percent were women. “We are a state where women do everything,” Hira said.

The results showed five statistically significant differences between gamblers and non-gamblers: income, number of credit cards, total debt, number of consolidated loans and age by gender.

Hira said that high-income gamblers use gambling as entertainment, while low-income gamblers use it for winning.

The poll focused on the six members of the gambling anonymous group while looking at the personal side of gambling.

She said gambling, like any other addiction, starts off small and grows into a problem. “The borrowing process begins innocently.”

“I started out maybe a couple of times a week, towards the end I was gambling almost every day,” said one member of the gambling anonymous group.

Many members were seriously in debt by the time they got help. “I had about $25,000 in credit card debt, two small loans for about $6,000, I took out $1,000 from my life insurance policy and borrowed $6,000 from my two sisters,” said another member.

Hira said gambling has a huge impact on family life. “It is very sad,” she said. “People lose families and lose trust.”

One member of the anonymous group said their family relations were destroyed irreparably. They felt the principal casualty was the lack of trust.

Hira said gambling not only tears up families, but it can also destroy a person’s job. Many people find that they begin to steal from their workplace in order to gamble.

The College of Family and Consumer Science’s poll shows that four out of ten adult Iowans have observed children under 18 years of age engaged in gambling.

Children have been seen betting on college and professional sporting events, helping pick lottery numbers, betting on high school sporting events, buying lottery tickets and visiting casinos.