overview
Online gambling is leading the expansion in popularity and accessibility of commercial gambling, according to a report by a panel of global health experts. Experts determined that gambling posed a threat to public health and recommended stricter regulations.
The rise of online gambling has expanded the commercial gambling industry around the world, posing a serious threat to public health, according to a new report.
The report, released on Thursday, comes from the Public Health Committee on Gambling convened by the medical journal The Lancet. The commission’s 22 members (academic experts from 12 countries) reviewed existing research and research into the prevalence, impact and harms of gambling and found that, globally, current regulations are insufficient to protect citizens. It was decided that there was a need to strengthen the system.
“We’re no longer talking about people sitting around a table playing cards,” said the commission’s head of epidemiology, Professor Louisa Degenhardt of the University of New South Wales in Sydney. “Many people may actually experience gambling harm, probably around 72 million people worldwide. That number is likely to increase further as we see an increase in groups.”
According to the report, gambling is legal to some degree in more than 80% of countries around the world. Based on a systematic review of research, the authors found that 16% of adults and 26% of adolescents who use online casino or slot products have a gambling disorder, and 9% of adults and 26% of adolescents who use sports betting products. They estimated that 16% of adolescents had such a disorder. .
Thirty-eight states and Washington, D.C. have legalized sports betting in the U.S. since the Supreme Court banned it in 2018, according to the American Gaming Association. Thirty states allow and regulate mobile sports betting. A 2022 Pew Research survey found that 19% of U.S. adults have placed a sports bet in the past year, either in person or online.
As well as economic losses, gambling can cost people jobs, relationships and health, and increase the risk of suicide and domestic violence, the report said. The commission found that people without a recognized gambling disorder were also affected, such as casual gamblers and relatives of people with problem gambling.
The report highlighted the role that online gambling has played in increasing the availability of commercial gambling overall. In the United States, he cited legal sports betting apps such as DraftKings and FanDuel as examples, along with online casinos and slot machines.
“Accessibility is now available 24/7,” said Heather Wardle, a researcher on the commission and professor of urban studies, social policy and health at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. “They can target ads to you that they know you will respond to, making it very difficult to switch off. … Increased exposure to gambling can also cause harm. It will get bigger.”
A FanDuel representative said the company “fully supports regulated markets that protect customers and generate significant tax revenue for states” and that “an industry-wide commitment to building best practices to protect customers” “It’s helping to lead an ongoing discussion.”
The platform offers users the ability to set limits on deposits, wagers and time spent on the app, as well as the option to self-exclude from further betting.
DraftKings, which declined to comment, offers similar protections. The company’s website advises users to “always set reasonable limits” and recommends “avoiding gaming if you are recovering from addiction.” Both companies follow state regulations.
In its report, the Lancet Commission criticized governments around the world for paying too little attention to the harms of gambling and not doing enough to implement gambling-related public health protections. The authors recommended that leaders introduce policy frameworks that hold gambling companies, rather than gamblers, accountable to minimize harm.
Their recommendations include restricting gambling access and advertising, launching marketing campaigns on the effects of gambling, and providing stronger support for those who suffer harm. The authors also called on the government to implement and enforce minimum age requirements and betting restrictions.
The report notes that various states and countries have already taken such measures. For example, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Ontario have various restrictions on gambling advertising, including online gambling. Germany limits the opening hours of brick-and-mortar casinos. Spain, Sweden and Norway have mandatory loss limits for online gambling. In addition, in Massachusetts, Illinois, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, a portion of the profits of operators in their states are donated to gambling recovery funds.
Alan Feldman, director of strategic initiatives at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas International Gaming Institute, who was not on the committee, said many of the safeguards suggested in the report already exist.
But he said he believed some of those regulations were “a misunderstanding of what responsible gaming means.”
“Treatment will only work if the person accepts some level of responsibility,” said Feldman, who worked at MGM Resorts for nearly 30 years and is chairman emeritus of the industry-funded International Council for Responsible Gaming. “The decision to gamble or not must rest with the customer, but this role is shared by everyone in the ecosystem: game manufacturers, governments, jurisdictions, and treatment providers. ”
He added that many of the new report’s findings have been “long known and often debated.”
A study published last year found that people who participated in online sports betting were more likely to report substance use disorders and psychological distress. The study also suggests that gambling advertising may contribute to the development of gambling problems. A 2015 paper found that online gambling can lead to the development or worsening of gambling problems.
In recent years, problem gambling centers in some states have reported an increase in the number of calls to their helplines. But Feldman said the rise in gamblers seeking help in the U.S. may be due to mental health resources becoming more available.
“We are experiencing a change in the way we think about mental health, and this is partly due to technology. You and I can now talk to a counselor about anything, including gambling, within maybe 60 seconds. You can contact us,” he said.
But Wardle argued that the expansion of commercial gambling is a threat.
“We know that gambling can cause very serious harm to an individual’s health and can be an addictive activity,” she said. “Our recommendations focus on prioritizing the protection of health and putting in place very strong regulatory regimes that can protect public health while allowing gambling to occur.”