Gambling Harms

Gambling is the act of risking something of value on an event that is determined at least in part by chance. Often this involves placing bets on games like fruit machines, scratch cards or lottery tickets. People also gamble in other ways, such as on sports events or office pools.

Harm related to gambling is an important topic of concern for a range of professionals and stakeholders including policy makers, service providers and researchers. This is largely due to the lack of a consistent definition, the breadth and experience of harms and the associated health impact that can be experienced by those who gamble. It is important to be able to conceptualise and measure gambling related harm in a way that is consistent with public health approaches to measuring health outcomes.

This study aims to develop a framework that can be used to operationalise and measure gambling related harms in line with public health approaches. The approach is grounded in the use of a functional definition that captures harms as consequences or outcomes that can be experienced by the person who gambles, their affected others and communities. It also enables the inclusion of a wider range of factors that influence harms including social determinants, comorbidities and the experience of gambling as an activity.

Developing a comprehensive understanding of harms to gambling is crucial in order to inform research, treatment and policy making processes around gambling related harm. It will help to improve prevention and treatment programmes that aim to minimise the health impacts of gambling.

The research was undertaken in two phases using focus groups, interviews and coding of forum posts from Gambling Help Online forums dating back over five years. Data was transcribed verbatim, checked for accuracy and uploaded into NVivo Software to facilitate coding and analysis. The data was compiled, analysed and synthesized using a grounded theory methodology that has the capacity to identify how participants have experienced a phenomenon of harm through a process of substantive and theoretical coding and constant comparison of data and concept.

1. Harm to the person who gambles

A gambling related harm is any initial or exacerbated adverse consequence or outcome that is experienced by the person who gambles. This includes any negative impact that may lead to a decrement in the physical, emotional or social well-being of the person who gambles, their affected others or their communities.

2. Harm to their relationships

A relationship harm is any initial or exacerbated adverse relationship outcome that is experienced by the person who gambles, their impacted others and/or their communities. This includes any negative impact that may lead the person who gambles to break a primary relationship, or to threaten to do so.

3. Harm to their health

A broader harm to the health of the person who gambles, their affected impacted others and their communities is any initial or exacerbated adverse health outcome that is experienced by the person who gambles, impacted impacted others and/or their community. This includes any negative impact that may lead a person who gambles to become more vulnerable to their impacted health conditions, including but not limited to obesity, substance use and mental health disorders.

Gambling is the act of risking something of value on an event that is determined at least in part by chance. Often this involves placing bets on games like fruit machines, scratch cards or lottery tickets. People also gamble in other ways, such as on sports events or office pools. Harm related to gambling is…