Gambling and health: high-profile report warns of global risk

A report published by the Lancet calls for the urgent creation of far stronger global regulatory controls.

UK.- An academic paper published in The Lancet, the world’s oldest medical journal and a publication known for its high impact, has warned that gambling poses a rising global threat to public health. It claims that the expansion of online gambling in particular is becoming a major international concern.

The report was authored by experts in gambling, public health, global health and regulatory policy on the Lancet’s own Public Health Commission on Gambling. It recommends the urgent creation of far stronger global regulatory controls.

The 45-page report claims that around 450 million people have at least one behavioural symptom or have experienced a harmful personal, social or health consequence of gambling. Among these, 80 million suffer from gambling disorder, the paper says.

The paper said sophisticated marketing and growing access to the internet and mobile phones meant more people had access to gambling, including adolescents and younger children.

The commission conducted a systematic review and meta analysis, which estimated that gambling disorder affects 15.8 per cent of adults and 26.4 per cent of adolescents who use online casino or slot products, as well as 8.9 per cent of adults and 16.3 per cent of adolescents who participate in sports betting.

Professor Heather Wardle, co-chair of the commission and a specialist in gambling research, policy and practice from the University of Glasgow, said: “Most people think of a traditional Las Vegas casino or buying a lottery ticket when they think of gambling. They don’t think of large technology companies deploying a variety of techniques to get more people to engage more frequently with a commodity that can pose substantial risks to health, but this is the reality of gambling today.

“Anyone with a mobile phone now has access to what is essentially a casino in their pocket, 24 hours a day. Highly sophisticated marketing and technology make it easier to start, and harder to stop gambling, and many products now use design mechanics to encourage repeated and longer engagement.”

She added: “The global growth trajectory of this industry is phenomenal; collectively we need to wake up and take action. If we delay, gambling and gambling harms will become even more widely embedded as a global phenomenon and much harder to tackle.”

Gambling risk among young people

The report cites an “elevated risk” of harms among adolescents and younger children routinely exposed to gambling advertising. It also raised concerns about the inclusion of gambling-like mechanics in video games.

Dr Kristiana Siste, another contributor, said: “We need to take action to protect children from the harms of gambling. We know that early exposure to gambling increases the risk of developing gambling disorders later in life, and children and adolescents are particularly vulnerable to the allure of easy money and the game-like designs of online gambling.”

The report also claims that the industry undermines legitimate science on gambling and aims to reframe discussions about harmful effects to push the idea of individual responsibility and consumer freedom. 

Professor Malcolm Sparrow said: “While the industry continues to promote gambling as harmless entertainment, countries and communities are experiencing rapidly increasing threats from gambling harms.

“The commission urges policymakers to treat gambling as a public health issue, just as we treat other addictive and unhealthy commodities such as alcohol and tobacco.”

Meanwhile, Brent Council in north London has urged the UK government to change gambling legislation and ban gambling advertising after its own planning committee felt forced into approving a new adult gaming hall in Harlesden. The area has been dubbed the “Las Vegas of Britain” by the press because it has seven gambling venues within 600 metres.

While it was Brent Council’s own Planning Committee that approved the latest application for a gambling venue by Silvertime Amusements, it says it did so because it believed the gambling operator would be likely to win an appeal against a rejection. That’s because the application complied with local and national guidelines.