The purpose of this systematic review was to synthesize estimates of prevalence of gambling problems among prison populations. After screening studies published in peer-reviewed academic journals and the grey literature, the researchers identified 26 studies. Across the 26 studies, the overall prevalence rate of problem gambling was 31%. However, the prevalence rate varied greatly across the studies. The researchers found that estimates of problem gambling prevalence in prison populations were not affected by the cut-off criteria used, timeframe, or sample size. This study suggests that it is important to consider problem gambling prevention and treatment for prison populations.
