The Ohio Mental Health & Addiction Services has recently released its Ohio Gambling Survey for 2022, showing Trumbull County has a higher percentage of problem gambling than the state does.

According to highlights from the survey, about 3.5%, or 5,514 of the county's adult population has a serious gambling problem, compared with the state average of 2.8%, or 254,729. 

Digging deeper, about 20,401 adults are categorized as low-risk gamblers and 6,114 adults are moderate risk.

Meanwhile, 66.4% of the county are non-problem gamblers, compared to the overall state's 63%.

For context, Trumbull County has an adult population of 159,684 while Ohio's much larger adult population is 9,193,508.

The three areas of gambling for at-risk gamblers in Trumbull County are gaming and the lottery. the numbers, compared to the state, broken down are below:

  • Gaming: Trumbull 49.6%, Ohio 43.2%,
  • Sports: 65.5%, Ohio 57%,
  • Lottery: Trumbull 81.7%, Ohio 77.5 percent.

The two most common forms of gambling for at-risk gamblers in the county were lottery and sports, which is the same for the state, according to the survey.

Overall, gambling has become a bigger risk for people in Ohio, especially minorities and young adults.

Hispanics had the highest percentage of at-risk or problem gamblers at 30.8%, African -Americans were at 25.8% and other races were at 22% combined.

Whites had 19.8% for problem gamblers in the state and had the highest percentage of non-gamblers at 87%.

For gamblers between the age of 18 and 24, the percent of at-risk gamblers were 26.7%. This number decreases as the ages increase and at risk gamblers between the age of 45 and 64 was 19.5%.

The causes for at-risk gamblers include family history at 33.9%, using alcohol and drugs at 37.3% and intoxication at 32.8%.

This is a developing news story, check back later for data relating to Mahoning and Columbiana counties.