Does playing Scabble increase your vocabulary

I am replying to this post that was dated Jan 7th 2010.
It is now 31st of March 2013 and when I went in search of a Scrabble chat forum there was nothing very recent/current. And what I did find wasn't exactly what I was looking for.
But having said that, this is the best Scrabble site I could find.
It's only been in the last few weeks that I've been bitten by the Scrabble Bug... again.
Before that it has probably been over 10 years since I last played a game. After being bitten this time around, I decided to buy that Collins Official Scrabble Words book and was amazed at the contents. After a few (recent) games us friendly players decided to try and use only the words that we knew the meaning of. That way we felt we were learning as we progressed, rather than using (allowable) words (if it's in the book it is allowed) and not having one iota of their meaning.
Seeing as how it has been over 3 years since the last posting, I am wondering what caused the 'stoppage' on this subject. The good news is that what has already been posted here is just as relevent now as when it was first posted. :-)

I was advised by the memory clinic that I would be unable to RECALL words that I had not used for a long time. Playing Scrabble makes you search your long term memory for suitable words. This brings the word into your short term memory so you will be able to use it in conversation. I was told that everything we have known a long time ago remains in long trem memory. The problem I s that we cannot RECALL it unless something prompts us. Think of puzzling over a quiz then hearing the solution that you realise you knew years ago.
In that sense Scrabble impreoves your working vocabulary.
An unexpected result of having dementia is that I have learnt a lot about memory.

The question is not "Can you win at Scrabble if your English is limited". We are discussing the benefit, if any, obtained by playing it.
I could add that it also encourages one to study memorising techniques.
Anyone think of other benefits?

I think that only playing casually from time to time won't make much of a change to your vocabulary. To see an actual improvement you will need to start playing competitively. This actually requires you to learn new words and therefore will increase your vocabulary.

Absolutely!

Scrabble is VITAL - So Is Monopoly.

Have A Lovely Day

Yeehaw, bae: An embiggened Scrabble dictionary cuts slurs and adds words new and old