In the UK, the Gambling Commission has released a report into the relationship between the prevalence of gambling and socio-economic factors using data from 2007’s British Gambling Prevalence Survey.
The regulatory body stated that it commissioned the study with analysis carried out by Professor Jim Orford from the University of Birmingham and Professor Mark Griffiths from Nottingham Trent University.
The researchers studied associations between the prevalence of gambling and personal income and found that how much money a person earns had a significant relationship as to whether they participated in gambling or not. Those with higher incomes were less likely to participate in gambling on a regular basis while, paradoxically, having a more positive attitude towards gambling.
The analyses also looked at household occupations and the prevalence of gambling and discovered that those in managerial and professional occupations were least likely to gamble and far less at risk for developing an addiction to gambling.
The correlation between the prevalence of gambling and the deprivation level of the area around a player’s residence was also studied and found that those living in the most deprived areas gambled more often than those in less deprived areas. In addition, players from the more deprived areas had higher rates of problem gambling and regular participation by parents and close relatives.
The authors of the report emphasised that their analysis was exploratory and, as such, leaves many open questions about the interpretation of the results. In addition, they stated that they couold not provide any conclusive evidence on causation.
Abstract from www.igamingbusiness.com
