About the Indicator:

 In 2016, students were asked the following question:

"During the last 12 months, how often have you done the following gambling/betting activities?

• Played cards, bet on sports teams or games of personal skill, like video gaming, pool, golf, or bowling

• Bought lottery tickets or scratch-offs

• Gambled in a casino

• Gambled for money online"

Response options included Not at all, Less than once a month, About once a month, About once a week, 2 to 6 times a week, and Daily. Data here include any student who reported gambling About once a month, About once a week, 2 to 6 times a week, or Daily.

Gambling is associated with increased substance use. In 2016, students who reported gambling monthly or more frequently in the past year were twice as likely to report alcohol use in the past month, compared to students who gambled less frequently or not at all. They were also 2.1 times as likely to report tobacco use, 2.0 times as likely to report marijuana use, and 2.3 times as likely to report prescription drug misuse in the past month. Students reporting problematic gambling were even more likely to report past-month substance use.

Data Source: Minnesota Student Survey (MSS)

Description: The MSS is a confidential and anonymous self-administered survey given to students attending Minnesota public, charter and tribal schools. From 1995 to 2010, the survey was administered to students in 6th, 9th, and 12th grades. New in 2013, the survey was administered to students in 5th, 8th, 9th, and 11th grades. Trend data are now only available for 9th graders, and only for survey questions that did not change. Most schools elect to participate in the survey; in 2013, this included 84% of public schools in Minnesota.

Although the data are not presented here, the survey is also administered to area learning centers, juvenile correction facilities and private schools electing to participate.

Sponsored by: Minnesota Department of Education

Geographic Level: State, Region, and County

Aggregated data at the state and county level do not reveal disparities that may exist within a given geographic area.

Frequency: Data collected and reported every three years

Characteristics: The results of the MSS are also available at a county level. Data Privacy requirements mandate that data is presented in a manner such that no individual student can be identified through the presentation of the results. As part of the Data Privacy practices, the results are also presented in a manner that no individual school district could be identified through the results. Therefore, for counties that have only one school district, the results are not presented. Results are also withheld for counties in which the minimum number for student participation was not met.

The MSS is a “census” of schools, not a sample. The school districts get their own data. Fifth-graders were not asked all substance use questions. Some school districts do not participate, and student participation within the school district can vary widely. These data are self-reported.