Public Health England (PHE) published a review of gambling-related harms last month. The agency was asked to look at the social impact of the industry, which produces £14.2 billion (US$19.3 billion) in profits, and to offer advice on an approach to harms.
In its evaluation, PHE said researchers need to understand the extent gambling is a public health issue and ascertain the demographics most affected by harms, according to SBC News. PHE was required to determine the risk factors associated with gambling harms and the impact on individuals, families, communities, and wider societal harms.
The agency performed six studies to assess the questions. For the evaluation, societal harms were classified as financial harm, mental health abuse, relationship/family conflict, employment/educational loss, criminal activity, and cultural/community damage.
The statistics model used for frequency of gambling was from 2018. More than 24.5 million gambled in England, or 54 percent of the adult population. The percentage dropped to 40 by taking out the National Lottery. The report assumed 0.5 percent of players were problematic.
Findings showed problem gamblers participated in at least seven gambling activities with online gambling representing 23.4 percent of at-risk gamblers, more than double the general population.
The percentage of children and young people who gambled fell from 23 percent in 2011 to 11 percent in 2019. England’s child gambling rates dipped from 39 percent in 2018 to 36 percent during 2019.
The review includes the most comprehensive estimate of the economic burden of gambling on society to date, revealing that the harms associated with it cost at least £1.27 billion (US$1.728 billion) in 2019-20 alone. Half of the burden was a direct cost to government, interlinked with public health issues related to mental health and wellbeing. The largest social impact related to suicides, which generated an estimated cost of £620 million based on 409 deaths per year.
Problem gamblers are at least twice as likely to die from suicide and at increased risk of losing their job, with men more than four times likely to be affected than women, according to Inews.co.uk. The study discovered a link between alcohol consumption and harmful gambling, with only 35 percent of non-drinkers gambling compared to 74 percent of those consuming more than 50 units of alcohol.
Costs of depression and problem gambling was £335 million, based on research of 250,000-plus patients suffering mental health issues. Gambling and alcohol and drug dependence cost £6 million per year. Related crimes associated with gambling came to £163 million.
“The lack of evidence meant that we could not cost all of the harms identified in the review or cost the economic and social burden of gambling on affected others,” the report said. “This means that the overall estimated costs are likely to be underestimated.”
There is more at stake from gambling than just losing money, from the toll on mental health to the impact on those around the gambler, according to Rosanna O’Connor, director of alcohol, drugs, tobacco, and justice at PHE.
“Harmful gambling is a public health issue and needs addressing on many fronts, with an emphasis on preventing these harms from occurring as well as with help readily accessible for those directly and indirectly affected by the wide ranging and long-lasting negative impacts of gambling.”
Tim Miller, executive director at the U.K. Gambling Commission, said: “Protecting people from gambling harms is a priority for the Gambling Commission, and we take a public health approach to do so.”
