This survey has provided an important baseline from which future research can compare rates of change in the prevalence of gambling and problem gambling among youth in Oregon. Several shortcomings of this research should be taken into consideration for future research.
First, because the minority population in Oregon is relatively small, future research should over-sample minorities in order to more accurately gauge the level of gambling and problem gambling among non-Anglos.
Second, future research should utilize a larger sample size in order to provide more precise measures of problem gambling. Because problem gambling is a low probability event, accurately gauging the level of problem gambling will require a very large sample size. Additionally, a larger sample size will allow for more accurate analyses of various subgroups, such as age groups, as well as allow for more precise estimates of the affect of grade of onset and parental gambling on problem gambling.
Finally, a longitudinal, prospective research design is the best way to measure the change in gambling behavior over time. A recent study which reviewed all of the prevalence studies conducted over the last twenty years in the U.S. concluded that "researchers have conducted virtually no incidence studies in the field of disordered gambling"(Shaffer, Hall and Vander Bilt, 1997, p.6). Only by following a very large sample of youth over time can certain important and difficult questions about the development of problem gambling, such as the influence of parental gambling and age of onset on problem gambling, be answered.
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