Gambling keeps on rolling into many people’s daily lives, and a project being undertaken by the College of Family and Consumer Sciences is seeking to assess the impact of gambling upon families and other in Iowa.

“Gambling is on the rise, and we are interested in the impact upon families and individuals because they can have implications for policy decisions,” said Beverly Crabtree, dean of the College of Family and Consumer Sciences.

Crabtree said the project consists of two parts, including a random telephone survey of 600 citizens from the state of Iowa and various research projects that will test the impact of gambling upon various groups.

Some of the individual research studies that will be undertaken will look at the relationships between gambling and the elderly, children, Iowa tourism, family finances, small business and college students.

The telephone poll is ongoing and the questions asked focus on attitudes and perceptions, Crabtree said.

Crabtree said in a prepared statement that “the College of Family and Consumer Sciences at ISU has as its central mission the well-being of families. As we listen to Iowans, we realize that gambling has affected more and more families here …

“Most alarming of all, we are seeing our college students discover gambling. When ISU students celebrate their 21st birthdays, a common rite of passage is a visit to Meskwaki or Prairie Meadows. The lure of round-the-clock gambling has been ruinous for some. This semester, our college lost two students to gambling. They gambled away their tuition money and dropped out of school.

“Our college has decided that the citizens of Iowa deserve some objective research on gambling’s impact on the family. In the past months, we have been working with Glenn Roberts, a nationally-recognized polling expert who, for years, ran the Iowa Poll, to develop the first-ever Family and Consumer Science Poll …

“Beginning this week, interviews are being conducted with Iowans across the state on how they think gambling affects their families and communities. We think this poll will provide a much-needed gauge of Iowans’ thoughts on the issue, and be an important first step for future gambling studies.”

The results of the poll will be released at a conference on Gambling and the Family the college is sponsoring on Oct. 31, 1996. At this conference, faculty members in the Family and Consumer Sciences College will be making presentations on various topics relating to gambling and its impact on Iowa families. Crabtree said she would like to have all sides with a interest in the gambling issue serve on “interaction panels” at the conference.

Those who would like to serve on a panel, or would like to be sent information on attending the conference, can contact Crabtree, 122 MacKay Hall. Her e-mail address: [email protected].