He said the survey showed that compulsive gambling and the related social costs can be traced in concentric circles around a gambling facility. The closer in you get, the more severe the issue, he said. And, he added, people living in poorer neighborhoods reported higher rates of problem gambling.

Denise Jewell is a CNHI News Service Elite Reporting Program fellow. She writes for the Niagara Gazette in Niagara Falls, N.Y.