Kiwis gambling less but somestill at significant risk

Kiwis gambling less but some groups still at significant risk of harm, finds national survey

New Zealanders are gambling less than they once were, according to the largest New Zealand gambling survey to be held in the past 15 years. However the research has also revealed that some groups are gambling at high levels, and are likely to be at greater risk of problem gambling.

The survey was conducted by AUT University, and funded by the Ministry of Health as part of the National Gambling Study (NGS). It investigated the gambling habits of 6,251 adults.

Annual gambling participation rates in the last decade have been found to be lower than the previous decade, with approximately 80% of adults taking part in some form of gambling – down from around 90%.

“The most notable finding was a substantial drop in the number of people who gamble weekly or more. In the present survey only 22% of adults took part this often, compared to 40% in 1999 and 48% in 1991,” says lead researcher Professor Max Abbott.

Also striking was the reduction in the number of people frequently participating in continuous gambling forms – activities such as casino table games, electronic gaming machines and track betting, which have rapid cycles of play. Weekly or more frequent involvement in this type of activity has fallen from 18% in 1991 to 10% in 1999, and down to 6% in the present study.

Despite more gambling activities being available, the study also found there has been a reduction in the number of adults who take part in multiple activities. In 2012 22% of adults took part in four or more activities, compared to 28% in 2005 and around 40% during the 1990s.

According to Professor Abbott, these findings are of particular interest in the context of problem gambling. Participation in multiple activities, frequent involvement in continuous gambling modes (especially electronic gaming machines or EGMs), and higher expenditure were all strongly associated with problem gambling in previous New Zealand studies.

“The participation findings generally lead us to expect that gambling-related harm has decreased in recent years. However, while there has been a reduction in the number of people who take part in multiple activities, there has been a substantial increase in the self-reported expenditure of those who continue to do so,” he cautions.

“Wide participation and expenditure differences remain, with some groups – including Maori, Pasifika, people without formal education and the unemployed – having greater involvement than others in high risk gambling. This means that while there have been significant reductions in gambling involvement since the 1990s, a number of groups remain at risk and the overall levels of harm may not have changed appreciably,” adds Professor Abbott.

Ends.

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