Ep. 84 - Sharing The Responsibility to Limit Gambling Harms: Industry, Government and Gamblers
“To reduce gambling-related harms, our focus must shift from the individual who gambles to the context in which gambling takes place. This means implementing measures to regulate overall gambling availability as well as gambling products known to be riskier.”
With the sale of alcohol and cigarettes, there are measures in place to protect people who use these products and society in general from harms that can come with smoking and drinking. For example, on a pack of cigarettes there are images and warnings of disease caused by smoking. Or, there are age requirements to buy alcohol. Bars are required to stop selling drinks to someone who is intoxicated and help them get home safe.
The idea is that there is shared responsibility between people who smoke or drink, the industry who sells these products, and government who regulates it, to minimize risk. Many people say that more needs to be done with gambling to protect the public from gambling harms, especially those who are more vulnerable.
In this episode of Fold em, we hear from Dr. Nigel Turner, a Scientist with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and the University of Toronto. He shares what is known about gambling harms and what more can be done by the gambling industry, government and individuals who gamble to prevent gambling related problems. Plus, he helps us understand some complicated but important aspects of gambling, including the house edge, which is the average revenue that the industry expects to make from each game. Dr. Turner explains that for electronic games, such as slot machines, the house edge varies from 2% to 15% of each and every bet with an average of about 7%. This means that there is a long-term, constant cost to gamble, regardless of the ups and downs of the wager. Nigel Turner says that the public deserves to have realistic and accurate information to help them manage the risks of gambling.
Listen to episode 84 and hear about:
What do we know about gambling harms? Who is most vulnerable?
To protect myself from gambling harms, what do I need to know about the house edge or the odds of winning?
What is being done around the world to reduce gambling harms?
What more can be done by the gambling industry, public health, and individual gamblers to reduce gambling harms?
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What Do We Know About Gambling Harms?
Gambling is commonly thought of and marketed as entertainment. However, gambling products can have a range of harms.
Here’s what we know about gambling harms*:
You can experience harms from gambling whether you gamble occassionally or frequently
The more you gamble, the more likely you are to experience harms
Some forms of gambling have higher risk than others. Activities that involve rapid speed of play (e.g. slots) or frequent events (e.g. in-game betting) are more likely to be harmful
The easier it is to access gambling, the greater the risk it can become problemmatic
A large percentage of people who gamble, don’t experience negative consequences. They think of it as entertainment, budget their spending, and typically stick to this.
However, approximately 3% of the population experience gambling harms. For some, this will be severe. For others, they may not think of themselves as having a gambling problem, but it has an impact over time
What are examples of gambling harms?
Financial: spending money that is needed for food, bills, or savings; having difficulties covering these expenses over time and/or building up debt
Relational: spending less time with family and friends OR being distracted and less engaged when with them; increased conflict; secrets and lies
Emotional and Psychological: experiencing stress, anxiety, frustration and/or regret as a result of gambling; spending more time thinking about gambling or how to address gambling problems
Health: not sleeping well; experiencing physical signs of stress; getting off track with typical health routines, e.g. exercise, eating well, or going to the dentist
Work and Study: less able to focus and concentrate; less engaged or more irritable at work; missing work or school
Criminal Activity: using money that belongs to other people or organizations for gambling
What Increases the Risk of Gambling Harms?
Gambling is a risky activity. It involves wagering something of value on a risky activity with the hopes of winning or gaining something. The more someone gambles (either gambling more frequently or spending more time and money on gambling) the more likely it can cause harms.
Some forms of gambling are riskier than others. In addition, being exposed to gambling advertisements and having easy access to gambling, often leads to an increase in gambling, which increase risk of harms. Finally, certain mental health and health issues are also known to increase risk for gambling problems.
Here’s what we know about what increases the risk for gambling harms*:
Anxiety, depression, ADHD, chronic health issues or pain, or a history of trauma
Easy access to gambling, e.g. living close to a casino or electronic gambling machines. Online gambling is more common among people who gamble frequently, which creates risk for gambling problems
Gambling activities with a rapid speed of play and less time between bets (e.g. slots, electronic gambling machines, in-game bets). These encourage more betting and longer play, which increases risk of harms
Gambling advertising, marketing and promotion that present frequent and positive images of gambling, as well as incentives to gamble. These can encourage young people as well as people already experiencing gambling problems to gamble
What Can Be Done to Reduce Gambling Harms?
In a recent report*, by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), it is noted that government and industry efforts to address gambling-related harms have primarily focused on educating individual gamblers about how to gamble “responsibly.” They show that these measures have had limited benefit because they don’t address factors related to the design and delivery of gambling that increase risk for gambling-related harms. For example, having access to gambling 24/7, regularly seeing gambling advertising, and being able to make fast, frequent bets. The CAMH report recommends taking a “public health approach” Similar to how we address the risks of smoking and alcohol, there is a shared responsibilty between industry, government and the public to limit gambling harms for the public as a whole.
Here’s examples from CAMH’s Gambling Policy Framework of what has been done around the world to bring in more safeguards to gambling:
In Norway, electronic gambling machines were temporarily banned then replaced with machines designed to be less harmful (e.g., fixed spending limits, less audio-visual stimuli. Following this rates of problem gambling declined
In Norway, online gambling sessions are terminated if the person has been playing continuously for an hour
In Australia, in-play sports bets can only be placed by telephone to reduce the speed and ease of gambling
In Sweden, people using electronic gambling machines must register and pre-set money and time limits
In the United Kingdom, gambling ads have been banned from the beginning to the end of a sports game and UK citizens are restricted from using credit cards to pay for online gambling
In Ontario, celebrities are not permitted to endorse gambling in advertisements
In British Columbia, identification must be shown to enter a casino, which helps to identify people who have enrolled in a self exclusion program
To hear more about what can be done to reduce gambling-related harms, listen to Episode 84 of Fold em. Dr. Nigel Turner from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, discusses how most people don’t have an accurate understanding of the odds of winning in gambling and the cost to play. He provides us with a simple explanation and argues that messaging about gambling odds need to be really direct and clear. Listen to episode 84 of Fold em by clicking on the green play button at the top of this blog.
What Support is Available to Help With Gambling Concerns?
To learn more about gambling concerns and how to access resources and support, go to the home page of this website or listen to other Fold em podcast episodes.
Fold em is funded by Gambling Support BC.
We welcome your feedback and ideas for topics for upcoming episodes. Reach out through the Contact Us page on this website or through email at Foldempodcast@gmail.com.
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*CAMH Gambling Policy Framework, 2024, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada.