Measuring the attitude towards the profitability of gambling: the psychometric properties of the Gambling Attitude Scale

Over recent decades, gambling opportunities and venues have multiplied making gambling an increasingly accessible, socially acceptable, and popular activity (Desai, Maciejewski, Pantalon & Potenza, 2005). Of particular interest and concern is the impact of this activity on adolescents, who represent a vulnerable population that more easily tends to adopt risky behaviors (Berti & Voller, 2007). The importance of understanding the characteristics of youth gambling is underscored by data indicating that the majority of adult problem gamblers experienced problem gambling behaviors prior to age 20 (Gupta & Derevensky, 1997; National Research Council, 1999), with some starting at 8 years old (Fisher, 1993).