While thanks to movies and pop culture, many may believe that the United States is the country with the most gamblers and the highest rate of problem gambling in the world, the reality is different. There are several regions where the gambling industry is extremely popular and well-developed, generating some of the highest revenues. When it comes to problem gambling, there are also a few countries where this is a serious issue that should be properly handled.
Some people find gambling an interesting way to kill some time and have fun. For others, however, gambling goes well beyond a leisure activity and it often leads to serious issues that may even require professional help.
While back in the days, gambling was only possible in person, in land-based casino facilities, nowadays, thanks to internet and smartphone innovations, anyone can easily gamble without even leaving their home. This has led to an increasing number of people with a gambling addiction. As this is an industry that worths hundreds of billions of dollars, it is only natural that it strives to attract even more players every day. This, however, also leads to even more problem gamblers across the world.
According to several research works, about 20 million people in the US alone have reported that their gambling is interfering with their daily life, which can be defined as compulsive gambling. This is the final stage before gambling addiction, which is a treatable but serious psychological issue. Many underestimate the seriousness of problem gambling, with research showing that more than 80% of individuals who suffer from a gambling addiction do not seek any help or treat their problem. Meanwhile, about 70% of the people who try some type of treatment end up returning to their problematic gambling behavior.
Problem gambling is a serious issue that often also leads, or is somehow related, to other mental health issues, alcohol or drug addiction, nicotine dependency, and other serious conditions. The effects of problem gambling also include huge losses, major depressive disorders that can also be passed down to the next generation, a higher rate of domestic abuse, and various other serious issues. This is why countries all over the world are trying to regulate the gambling industry and bring down the gambling prevalence rates.
Risk Factors That May Lead to Problem Gambling
Similar to other addictions, problem gambling is also related to risk factors such as mental issues like depression, or anxiety, disruptive home environment, lack of support by peers or the community. Based on research by the National Comorbidity Survey Replication, about 96.3% of pathological gamblers also suffer from one or more additional mental disorders.
The Age
The Gender
The Age
In addition to one’s mental health, another risk factor is age. It has been reported that compulsive gambling is most often an issue among younger individuals and middle-aged gamblers. This being said, older adults are also potential groups that can suffer from gambling addiction.
The Gender
The gender of gamblers is yet another factor that may be crucial for problem gambling. Studies show that men are more commonly inclined to become addicted to gambling. Despite that, women who tend to start gambling at an older age may actually develop gambling addiction faster than men their age.
Sometimes, having friends or family with a gambling problem can also be the cause of experiencing gambling issues. Moreover, personal traits like competitiveness, impulsivity, workaholism, or restlessness can also be some of the factors leading to compulsive gambling.
Underage Gambling
One of the most serious issues that are common in different places around the world is underage gambling. According to studies, more than half the number of secondary school students in the US have participated in some form of real-money gambling in 2019.
Underage gambling is also closely linked to illegal gambling as individuals under the legal age of gambling can place bets only at websites that are not properly regulated. Not only do black-market operators tolerate such activities but they often use tactics to lure young adults into illegal wagering, opening the gateway to gambling addiction at an early age.
With most of the younger generation actively using smartphones, exposure to illegal gambling is even easier. This is why many jurisdictions are searching for effective methods to combat underage gambling and impose rigorous identity checks to prevent any gambling risks for younger people.
In most countries, the legal gambling age is set at 18, which is also the age for most adult activities. It is believed that this is the age at which individuals are capable of deciding whether they should smoke, drink, vote, gamble, etc. This is also the legal gambling age recommended by the World Lottery Association, which also believes that raising the age limit higher will only worsen the underage gambling issue. A gambling age limit higher than 18 will only give illegal operators more advantage in luring younger individuals into illegal gambling activities.
Trends in Gambling
There are certain trends that are easily noticeable in gambling all over the world. Certain age groups, genders, and social backgrounds are some of the factors that have an impact on the global gambling industry and can also be seen as preconditions for gambling addiction.
Gambling Among Adolescents
Compulsive Gambling
Crimes From Gambling-Related Purposes
Gambling Addiction
Gambling Among Adolescents
Studies on problem gambling in Europe show that this is a more common issue among adolescents rather than among adult gamblers. In countries like the UK, the problem gambling rates among adolescents are at least 4 or 5 times higher than those among adults. When tracking the share of gambling participants in the UK between 2013 and 2016, we will notice that the highest participation each year is in the age group between 45 to 64 years. However, a survey on problem gambling in the UK in 2019 shows that individuals between the age of 25 to 34 are most likely to report gambling issues, followed by the age group of people between 16 and 24 years.
Many believe the reason younger individuals are more likely to develop a gambling addiction is the vast accessibility of gambling options online. About 23% of college students in the US report to have gambled online, with 6% of them engaging in such activities weekly.
Compulsive Gambling
Another unfortunate trend is compulsive gambling affecting the families of the people with such addiction. Studies show that families with at least one parent gambling compulsively are more likely to be exposed to domestic violence, including child abuse. Even if compulsive gambling is not necessarily a reason for domestic abuse, children with at least one parent with a gambling problem are more likely to suffer from depression, substance abuse, or other behavioral issues.
Crimes From Gambling-Related Purposes
Even though gambling is legal in some countries around the world, this type of activity is often linked to different crimes. More often than not, such crimes are provoked by the need of obtaining more money for gambling-related purposes. The criminal activities that may be linked to people with gambling issues include shoplifting, embezzlement, fraud, forgery, burglary. Over two-thirds of the compulsive gamblers in the US report committing illegal acts due to gambling.
The reports of individuals who visit Gamblers Anonymous meetings show that between 80% and 90% of them have committed crimes to earn money that could be used on gambling. About 63% of the members of this help organization admitted writing bad checks, while around 30% stated they have stolen from their workplaces. Another concerning statistic shows that compulsive gamblers are 7 times more likely to be arrested than non-gamblers.
Gambling Addiction
Gambling addiction among adults is more common than underage gambling as adults have access to various legal forms of gambling. In addition to that, they tend to have the financial resources to gamble, while underage players may often lack the money required to place bets.
According to research in the UK, men are almost 8 times more likely to become problem gamblers than women. Despite that, there is not a big difference between the general gambling engagement of both sexes. About 66% of all males and 59% of all females have reported participating in gambling activities, which also include lottery games. Some researchers believe that men tend to be more impulsive than women, making them more prone to developing problem gambling. As males tend to chase their losses more often than women, they have bigger chances of ending up as compulsive gamblers.<.p>
Problem Gambling in Different Regions
Problem gambling is a global issue with a negative impact on individuals all over the world. You may think that the Sin City casinos in the state of Nevada place the USA in the top position of countries with the highest problem gambling rates. Despite the reputation of Las Vegas, however, there are other countries that have higher gambling prevalence rates. Many of these countries are constantly battling illegal gambling and work towards ensuring a safer environment for people with gambling issues.
Australia
Europe
Asia
North America
Australia
Australia is the country with the biggest gamblers, also ranking in the first place for having the highest problem gambling rate. When compared to other countries in 2017, Australia reported the highest loss per head in just one year. The average amount lost per capita amounted to $1,288. Statistics for the period between 2017 and 2018 show that on average, Australians spent about $177 per person on racing, $1,017 on gaming, and $62 on sports betting.
As a result of the high gambling activity in Australia, the central bank decided to raise its interest rate. The main contributor to the gambling prevalence rate in Australia is New South Wales, where most half machines are located. According to recent studies, about 80% of the Australian population is participating in some form of gambling. It was estimated that Australia spends more on gambling than any other country, betting about $18 billion in a single year.
Australia has more pokies (slot machines) per capita than almost all other countries in the world, with their total number nearing 200,000. While some find slot machines a fun way to pass some time, others are seriously addicted to gambling thanks to the flashing lights, colorful design, and the sound effects of pokies.
According to statistics, about 0.5% to 1% of Australian adults suffer from gambling addiction, while between 1.4% and 2.1% reported suffering from moderate gambling-related issues. With a total of 56,000 problem gamblers in the country. The moderate-risk gamblers are about 158,000 and the low-risk Aussie gamblers are about 373,000.
The concern about the problem gambling issue in Australia is increasing as the gambling industry is heavily promoted in the last few years. A 2019 research shows that every day, there were about 374 gambling ads on average on Australian TV, which is almost 5 times the number of advertisements about alcohol. The number of active online gamblers has also increased during the COVID-19 pandemic but some of these numbers are due to the inability to bet at land-based facilities.
Europe
Europe is one of the regions with countries that also have high gambling prevalence rates. Since this is a constantly growing industry, it also puts many European countries in top positions for problem gambling. If we compare the Gross Gambling Revenue (GGR) of different European countries, we will notice that the UK has the highest positions with €11 billion in 2009.
When we compare the losses per person, however, we see that Ireland is the country that suffers the biggest loss in Europe, with $588 per capita in a year. The top gambling forms in Ireland include betting and lotteries and it is one of the top countries by GGR per capita. Research by the Department of Health reports that roughly around 30,000 people in Ireland have gambling problems. Meanwhile, only about 1% of people with gambling issues are receiving treatment.
The gambling among adolescents in Ireland is about 2 to 3 times higher than that among adults. In 2010, the cost for handling problem gambling surpassed the revenue generated by the gambling industry, including taxes. One unfortunate statistic shows that 1 in 5 individuals suffering from gambling addiction attempts suicide, which is more than double the number of people with other types of addictions.
Finland is another European country with a high gambling addiction rate. Studies show that around 2.7% of the population between the ages of 15 to 74 suffer from some sort of gambling-related problems. It has been reported that problem gambling is more common among males, with 4.7% of all men and 1.6% of all women having gambling issues. The age group with the most problem gamblers in Finland is the one between 25 and 34 years. Around 56% of the individuals that have reported suffering from gambling addiction engage in gambling activities either daily or every other day.In 2011, Finland raised the gambling age limit from 15 to 18. This change resulted in a significant decline in gambling among young males. Meanwhile, gambling rates among young females were already low, even before the change in the age limit.
The problem gambling prevalence rate in the UK is continuing to grow, with about 2.7% of adults, or almost 1.4 million individuals, reporting some sorts of gambling problems. Meanwhile, a study by the National Gambling Treatment Service shows that only about 3% of people with gambling issues seek help and resort to some type of treatment. Studies for 2017 show that about 63% of adults (age 16 and older) in the UK have gambled at least once in the previous year.
About 66% of the gamblers in the UK are males, while 59% are females. The most common forms of gambling in the country are the National Lottery and Scratchcards. Even after excluding participants in the National Lottery in 2017, about 45% of the adults in the UK have participated in some sort of gambling in the past year. Younger adults report the highest rate of gambling participation. Between 2012 and 2015, the number of problem gamblers in the UK had increased by more than 50%. About 2.8% of adults were considered as gamblers with a low risk of developing a gambling addiction, while 1.1% were classified as moderate-risk gamblers. The problem gambling rate among men was higher, standing at 1.5%, while women had a rate of 0.2%.
Asia
While Singapore is a country that has witnessed the huge growth of its gambling industry, it has also accumulated some of the biggest losses in the world. Ranking in second place worldwide, Singapore reported a gambling loss of $1,174 per capita in a single year.
Following the launch of the first casino in the country in 2010, there were numerous concerns about increasing gambling addiction levels. In an attempt to decrease the gambling activity among locals, the government imposed an entry fee of $81 for locals who wish to gamble at the casino. There is also the Family Execution Order which allows Sinagporian individuals to ban their family members from entering casinos and participating in gambling activities. Despite these measures, the active gamblers in the country continue to grow, exposing many to gambling-related risks.
The last study in 2014 showed that the pathological gambling rates in Singapore were around 0.7%. Meanwhile, the average amount that problem gamblers spent on bets in 2014 amounted to $313. This shows a decrease compared to the average amount in previous years. In 2017, the problem gambling rate in Singapore did increase to 0.9%, which according to the National Council on Problem Gambling, is not that drastic of a change.
The gambling industry in Macau has developed so much in the last few years that it became the top destination for gambling in the world. Surprisingly, the problem gambling rate in Macau is not the highest one in Asia. Studies show that ever since the administrative region allowed people who experience gambling problems to register, the total of individuals that have reported gambling issues is 1,146. Meanwhile, in 2018, the number of registered problem gamblers drastically decreased by 15.3%, with only 133 people reporting to suffer from gambling addiction.
Problem gambling is also an issue in Hong Kong as a study from 2003, showed a problem gambling rate of 5.8%. About 4% of the individuals who participated in the study were classified as problem gamblers, while 1.8% were pathological gamblers. The most common forms of gambling in the region include horse racing, soccer betting, mahjong, or gambling in Macau casinos.
According to recent studies, more than 40% of individuals under the age of 18 in Hong Kong had participated in some form of gambling, including football bets, card games, and video games. Cabin Hong Kong is an organization that strives to help teens avoid gambling-related risks that can lead to problem gambling among adolescents. In recent years, the problem gambling rate in Hong Kong has dropped, with studies showing that it has decreased to 1.4% in 2016 compared to 2% in 2012.
North America
Studies show that around three-quarters of Canadians have participated in some sort of gambling. The highest number of gamblers are based in Saskatchewan, generating a revenue of $841 per person. The most common form of gambling in Canada is the lottery, which has been so popular among Canadians that the government urged people to stop gifting lottery tickets to younger people. According to data from 2017, the amount lost per capita in a single year in Canada amounted to $568, placing the country in fourth place for the biggest losses per head.
The gambling industry in Canada is regulated and it generates yearly revenue of around CA$17.3 billion. In 2017, the gambling sector of Canada reported 4.9% growth and the industry is continuing to grow each year. According to 2016 research, about 59% of all Canadians between the age of 18 and 34 have engaged in some sort of gambling at least once. Only 2% of gamblers in Canada admit to having occasional gambling problems. According to studies, the problem gambling rate in Quebec is 0.04%, while in Manitoba and Saskatchewan the respective rates are 1.4% and 1.2%.
A study by the North American Foundation for Gambling Addiction Help shows that roughly 2.6% of Americans define themselves as problem gamblers. About 10 million people in the US are suffering from a gambling habit. Even though the cost of dealing with problem gambling has reached $73 million in 2016, this industry is still individually regulated by every state. Meanwhile, there are states that do not offer any assistance for those who experience gambling problems.
According to research by the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), about 15% of Americans participate in gambling activities at least once a week. In the meantime, between 2% to 3% can be qualified as problem gamblers, with 6 million adults and a half million teenagers contributing to these estimates.
The risk of developing gambling addiction is two to three times higher among adolescents than adults. Roughly around 6% of college students in the US have reported gambling issues. About 40% of the problem gamblers in the country have started gambling before they were 17. Currently, Nevada is the state with the highest problem gambling prevalence in the US, standing at 6.4%.
Amount Spent on Gambling
Often some of the countries with the highest problem gambling rates also rank among the top countries that spend the most on gambling. While the amount that gamblers spend is not always a fair indication of the gambling addiction prevalence rate in each country, some researchers see the link between spending huge amounts on wagers and problem gambling.
Even though the number of casinos in Macau is far behind the casinos that operate in Las Vegas, the gambling revenue of Macau is much higher than the one of Sin City. In 2019, the gambling industry in Macau generated an additional $29 billion, while Las Vegas’ contribution was only $6.6 billion.
When we take a look at the overall amount that is spent on gambling in a single year, we will notice that China takes the lead with $36.5 billion. The country that follows is the USA, with yearly spending of $35.5 billion, while the amount that gamblers spend in Japan in one year amounts to $18.6 billion.
Research shows that UK individuals with gambling problems tend to spend around £98 per day, while average players usually wager £14 on average in a single day. When reviewing the amount that the average American has spent on gambling in 2019, reports show that each gambler spends $261 on average on casino games and lottery in a single year. Meanwhile, the annual amount that is spent on gambling in Mainland China in 2019 amounts to US$145 billion.
If we compare the biggest loss per capita in 2016, we will notice that Australia is in first place with total losses per capita of $18.3 billion. However, the biggest total of losses in 2016 is reported in the United States with a loss of $116.9 billion.
Measures Taken to Prevent Gambling Addiction
Since gambling addiction is a serious issue in numerous countries, every jurisdiction is taking the matter of problem gambling seriously and is trying to properly regulate the sector and protect vulnerable individuals from gambling-related risks. Some of the measures that several countries have taken include raising the minimum age limit for gambling, ensuring proper regulation of the industry, providing help from organizations that prevent gambling-related issues among teens and high-risk individuals.
Recently the UK government announced that it will review the Gambling Act 2005, focusing on ensuring a safer gambling environment for underage individuals and high-risk people. One of the latest changes in the regulation was raising the minimum legal age to participate in the National Lottery from 16 to 18.
The problem gambling rate among teenagers in Finland also declined after the government changed the minimum gambling age limit from 15 to 18. The Finnish gambling operator Veikkaus has recently announced that it will decrease the number of its slot machines, hoping to bring the problem gambling rate among Finnish people even lower..
In Canada, the government is taking different measures to ensure that people can maintain healthy gambling and still bring down the risk of problem gambling among young adults. This is why as Christmas is approaching, the government issued a reminder that although lottery tickets can be a great present, they should not be among the gifts that underage people receive.
Different organizations in Macau also work to decrease the problem gambling rate in the region. One of the latest events was the Galaxy Entertainment Group (GEG) that promoted responsible gambling by organizing several activities with the theme of family. Workshops teaching about the proper relationship between parents and children, training programs, and other events promoting responsible gambling helped the Macau SAR Government’s mission of reaching more people.
Biggest loss amount per capital in a year
Biggest loss by country
Gross Gaming Revenue
Gambling Participation in Singapore
Problem Gamblers in the UK
Distribution of Regular Australian Gamblers by Age
Regular Australian Gamblers by Sex
Biggest loss amount per capital in a year
Biggest loss amount per capita in a year |
Australia | $1,288 |
Singapore | $1,174 |
Ireland | $588 |
Canada | $568 |
Finland | $553 |
Biggest loss by country
Biggest loss by country (2016, in billion dollars) |
United States | 116.9 |
China | 62.4 |
Japan | 24.1 |
Italy | 19 |
Australia | 18.3 |
United Kingdom | 18 |
Gross Gaming Revenue
Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) in European Countries in 2019 (in billion euros) |
Italy | 18.1 |
Germany | 14.3 |
France | 12.2 |
Spain | 8.9 |
Netherlands | 3.1 |
Finland | 2 |
Belgium | 1.9 |
Gambling Participation in Singapore
Gambling Participation in Singapore 2005 – 2017 |
2005 | 58% |
2008 | 54% |
2011 | 47% |
2014 | 44% |
2017 | 52% |
Problem Gamblers in the UK
Problem Gamblers in the UK (2016 – 2018) by age | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
18 – 24 years | 0.8% | 1.7% | 1% |
25 – 34 years | 0.7% | 1.4% | 1.4% |
35 – 44 years | 0.6% | 0.8% | 0.6% |
45 – 54 years | 0.1% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
55 – 64 years | 0.9% | 0.2% | 0.4% |
65+ years | 0.3% | 0% | 0.2% |
Distribution of Regular Australian Gamblers by Age
Distribution of Regular Australian Gamblers by Age (2015) |
18-29 | 11.9% |
30-49 | 34% |
50-64 | 30.4% |
65+ | 23.8% |
Regular Australian Gamblers by Sex
Regular Australian Gamblers by Sex (2015) |
Male | 54.2% |
Female | 45.8% |