Compulsive Gambling: Background Information for Security Personnel

About this book

PREFACE Gambling is becoming more important as a security issue. Investigators, polygraphers, adjudicators and managers involved in the security clearance process need a good perspective on what is going on in society as a whole, what is common and what is uncommon. Gambling behavior receives minimal mention in personnel security adjudication guidelines listed in Appendix I of the DoD Personnel Security Program, DoD 5200.2-R, and in the Director of Central Intelligence Directive Number 1/14, Minimum Personnel Security Standards and Procedures Governing Eligibility for Access to Sensitive Compartmented Information. Yet, as this report shows, compulsive gambling is particularly important as our society is undergoing dramatic change in the prevalence of gambling and in attitudes toward gambling. The value of this report will be to precipitate a review of adjudication and investigative policies and procedures relating to compulsive gambling and to provide information for integrating the results into training programs. The report will also be helpful to counselors in employee assistance programs. This is the third in a series of studies of behaviors that raise questions about personnel secur.ty and suitability. Previous studies dealt with alcohol use and abuse and with financial irresponsibility. Future studies will deal with nonconforming sexual behavior, criminal behavior, and drug abuse. These reports are part of the research agenda recommended by the 1985 Stilwell Commission Report, Keeping the Nation's Secrets, a Report to the Secretary of Defense by the Commission to Review DoD Security Policies and Practices. The report was prepared by the Central Intelligence Agency using the support facilities and assistance of the Defense Personnel Security Research Center, and it is being disseminated by both organizations.