This study sought to: (1) determine the prevalence of
gambling disorder using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Version 5 (DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association in Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, American Psychiatric Publishing, Arlington, 2013) criteria; (2) identify the frequency and amount of money spent on
gambling behaviors; and (3) determine demographic and treatment related predictors associated with
gambling disorder in a substance using population. People receiving
methadone maintenance treatment (N = 185) in an urban medical center consented to participate in the study. We used DSM-5 criteria to assess the 12-month prevalence of
gambling disorder. Questions adapted from a previously developed measure were used to identify, describe and quantify the frequency of use and amount of money spent on
gambling behaviors. Most participants were African-American (71.4 %), male (54.1 %), unmarried (76.8 %), unemployed (88.1 %) and had an income of <$20,000 (88.5 %). On average, participants were receiving 81.0 mg of
methadone (SD: 22.8) daily. Nearly half (46.2 %) of participants met DSM-5 criteria for
gambling disorder. Compared to those without
gambling disorder, those with
gambling disorder did not differ significantly with respect to demographic characteristics
nor methadone dose. However, those with
gambling disorder had been in
methadone maintenance treatment for significantly less time. Those with
gambling disorder were significantly more likely to report engaging in a variety of
gambling behaviors. Given that the 12-month prevalence of DSM-5 defined
gambling disorder was nearly 50 % future efforts to screen and treat
gambling disorder in the context of
methadone maintenance treatment are clearly warranted.