Abstract

Objective: This exploratory study aims to describe the gambling behaviors of 419 homeless youth.

Methods: Participants were divided into two groups: 1) those whose gambling behaviors did not present a risk (n=366); and 2) those whose gambling behaviors presented a risk (n=53).

Results: In this homeless youth cohort, 12.6% exhibited gambling behaviors that could be considered at-risk. Compared to youth not having at-risk gambling behavior, youth with at-risk gambling behaviors were more likely to be male and be born outside of Canada. The at-risk participants were three times more likely to have a diagnosis of mental health disorder and two times more likely to report criminal activities as their main source of income.

Conclusions: These findings underline the importance of addressing all at-risk behaviors engaged in by homeless youth.