Letter: Perception higher of problem gambling

First, I want to thank you for publishing the article on our study of the impact of casinos on crime and quality of life. However, I want to make you aware of a small, but potentially very serious, error in your article and editorial about our study.

We did not indicate that problem gambling affected 16 percent of the population, or that problem gambling in the communities we studied was three times the national average. What we did address is residents' perception of problem gambling.

In particular, we asked residents in the community, "of the people in your community, what percentage do you estimate have gambling problems?" The 16 percent is the average answer to that question. That is, people perceive problem gambling in their community to be about three times higher than the national average.

As you know, problem gambling is a serious issue, and this portion of your article and editorial may draw some comment. I want to let you and your readers know about this so as to prevent any future misunderstanding.

MARK NICHOLS

Department of Economics

University of Nevada, Reno