A study from The Lancet looks at “the negative effects of the gaming industry’s involvement with [gambling and] gaming research” in the context of problem gambling. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

Effects of problem gambling

Medical journal The Lancet delivered a new report after consulting experts on several subjects to study problem gambling. According to SportsCasting, the study’s conclusions demonstrate “the negative effects of the gaming industry’s involvement with gaming research.” The report also details the ongoing effects of problem gambling on the global population.

The report reads: “This Lancet Public Health Commission should mark the beginning of a serious and sustained effort to apply public health logic as countries and communities respond to the rapidly increasing threat of gambling harms.”

According to the October 24 commission, the global gambling industry could see net losses by bettors totaling nearly $700bn by 2028.

will require sustained effort and cooperation from multiple international actors”

The report goes on to say: “We acknowledge that implementing these recommendations might take time [and] will not be easy. … [It] will require sustained effort and cooperation from multiple international actors. We hope to establish a clear direction for future action that will lead to effective policy design and implementation.”

Research negatively affected by gambling industry

The problem comes from the gaming industry being involved in the research in a manner that empowers gaming operators “to frame compulsive gambling in a way that benefits them whenever they see fit.”

The commission said: “The gambling industry also exerts considerable influence over research into gambling and gambling harms. … [This] helps it to retain control of the framing and messaging surrounding these issues.”

The commission continued by saying: “Framing the problem in this way and narrowly focusing policy attention on a small subset of the people who gamble draws attention away from industry practices and corporate behavior. We must also seriously examine the structures and systems that govern the design, provision, and promotion of gambling products.”

5.5% of women and 11.9% of men engaging in risky gambling

The prevalence of problem gambling throughout the study sample—extrapolated to the global population—presents a view of the scale of problem gambling, and thus the depth of the problem from affected research. The report offered figures as high as 5.5% of women and 11.9% of men engaging in risky gambling, which the report defined as “occasional experience of at least one behavioral symptom or adverse consequence from gambling.”

When extrapolated to a global population, those figures equal 448.7 million people affected by gambling alone, with 80 million adults having experienced problem gambling. The commission points to these figures as proof that gambling “poses a threat to public health.” The commission recommends that regulators strengthen “gambling industry regulation” to combat the effects of gambling, problem gambling, and gambling research affected by the gambling industry.