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In contrast to the national data, evidence from
the replication surveys in our theoretical
sample suggests that, over the 1990s, women were
less likely to gamble and particularly less
likely to gamble on a regular basis. In Montana,
Oregon and Washington, past-year gambling among
women declined substantially, with the steepest
declines reported among women from minority
groups in all three states (Polzin et al., 1998;
Volberg, 2001a; Volberg & Moore, 1999b). At the
end of the 1990s, only Native American men in
Montana showed an increased likelihood of having
gambled in the past year. In the 1990s, weekly
gambling also declined overall among women, with
two exceptions: weekly gambling rose from 17% to
23% among women from minorities in Washington
(between 1992 and 1998), and from 16% to 26%
among women from minorities in Oregon (between
1997 and 2000).
Differences in gambling participation
We now consider the differences in gambling
participation across the four states at the most
recent point in time. Table 2 presents
information about the size of the groups of
males and females who are white and those from
other minority groups in each state. This allows
readers to assess for themselves the magnitude
of differences in gambling participation
presented in the tables that follow.
While the data considered in this paper were
obtained using traditional population research
methods, the selection of jurisdictions for
inclusion in the analysis was driven by
theoretical sampling concerns. The strength of
this approach lies in the unexpected patterns
and new insights that emerge when a sample is
developed according to a theoretical framework
rather than based on availability or
convenience. The limits of this approach lie in
its unconventionality — researchers trained in
quantitative methods are unlikely to appreciate
the results of such an exercise.
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