It noted that the $5 billion to $6 billion a year in costs from problem gamblers "appears smaller than the impacts of such lethal competitors as alcohol abuses (with an estimated annual cost of $166 billion) and heart disease ($125 billion)."

Impacts range from mental health issues to personal financial distress. They include:

• Suicide and mental health: About 1 of every 5 pathological gamblers attempt suicide, according to a 1997 report by National Council on Problem Gambling. It also says the actual suicide rate for them is higher than for any other addictive disorder.

That means if Utah has between 19,200 and 25,600 "pathological" gamblers, as suggested by national studies and U.S. Census data, then 3,840 to 5,120 of them would attempt suicide sometime.

The National Gambling Impact Study Commission also said that a survey of 400 Gamblers Anonymous members showed two-thirds had contemplated suicide, 47 percent had a definite plan to kill themselves, and 77 percent stated they have wanted to die.

The Arizona Office of Problem Gambling said that among gamblers who sought help from it, 40 percent reported considering suicide. It said 5 percent had planned suicide, and 3 percent had attempted it.

The Arizona office also says that among gamblers who sought help to battle their problems, 33 percent suffered depression and 10.4 suffered from anxiety. It said 41 percent had a history of emotional abuse, 27 percent had a history of physical abuse and 19 percent had a history of sexual abuse.

• Divorce and abuse: The survey of Gamblers Anonymous members also reported that 18 percent said they had a gambling-related divorce, and another 10 percent were separated as a direct consequence of their gambling.

The National Opinion Research Center study in 1999 said that 53.5 percent of identified pathological gamblers reported having been divorced, compared to 18.2 percent of non-gamblers and 29.8 percent of low-risk gamblers.

The National Research Council says studies show that between 25 percent and 50 percent of spouses of compulsive gamblers have been abused.

• Substance abuse: The National Gambling Impact Study Commission says that estimates of the incidence of substance abuse among pathological gamblers ranges from 25 to 63 percent, and it said people admitted to chemical dependence treatment programs are three to six times more likely to be problem gamblers than are members of the general public.

The North American of State and Provincial Lotteries also says at its Web site, "In several studies approximately 50 percent of problem gamblers were found to also have drug or alcohol problems, while studies of people in treatment for substance abuse have found between 10 and 30 percent also having a gambling problem."