Gambling-Related Harms Attributable to Lotteries Products

Leon Booth (Lead / Corresponding author), Samantha Thomas, Rob Moodie, Anna Peeters, Victoria White, Hannah Pierce, Annie Anderson, Simone Pettigrew

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

11 Citations (Scopus)
356 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Lotteries products (lottery tickets and scratch tickets) are the most popular forms of gambling worldwide, however little research has investigated whether these products are associated with gambling-related harm. The limited available research suggests these products are linked to problematic gambling behaviors and a range of resulting negative outcomes, with certain sub-groups appearing to be more vulnerable to experiencing harms. The present study examined risk of gambling-related harm (measured by the Problem Gambling Severity Index) from lotteries products use in an Australian sample of lotteries-only gamblers (n = 540). Additionally, the study investigated whether risk varied according to a range of sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics (age, gender, household income, location (rural vs. metropolitan), employment status, alcohol consumption, smoking status, frequency of e-cigarette use, frequency of scratch ticket use, frequency of lottery ticket use, expenditure on scratch tickets, and expenditure on lottery tickets). Almost one-third of the sample was found to be at some level of gambling-related risk due to their use of lotteries products. Younger respondents, males, current smokers, e-cigarette users, and those who purchase scratch tickets more frequently were more likely to report problematic use of lotteries products. Policy makers should enact strategies to prevent and reduce harms resulting from lotteries products, especially among the identified at-risk groups.
Original languageEnglish
Article number106472
Number of pages5
JournalAddictive Behaviors
Volume109
Early online date19 May 2020
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2020

Keywords

  • Gambling
  • Lottery
  • Predictive factors
  • Prevention
  • Problem gambling
  • Scratch-tickets

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Medicine (miscellaneous)
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Toxicology
  • Psychiatry and Mental health

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