Harm reduction in gambling: a systematic review of industry strategies

Abstract

Background: Gambling venues and industry regulators utilise a variety of strategies to reduce potential consumer harm from gambling. These strategies originate at the level of governmental and industry policy, and are distinct from responsible gambling behavioural strategies that individual gamblers may choose to implement.

Method: This systematic review examined industry-implemented or environmental-level strategies aimed at reducing consumer harm from gambling. Twenty-seven studies that met inclusion criteria were summarised based on the type of strategy examined. Due to variability in study designs, strategies examined, and outcome measures employed, meta-analyses could not be completed.

Results: Strategies that were most effective in reducing gambling time or expenditure included: self-appraisal pop-up messages, $1 maximum bets, removal of large note acceptors and ATMs, reduced operating hours, and smoking bans. These findings were limited by the quality of studies available, however. Many studies did not include pre- and post-measurement or control groups, and most relied on retrospective self-report.

Conclusions: These results provide insight into strategies that demonstrate preliminary effectiveness in reducing both the amount of time spent gambling and the amount of money gamblers spend. Further research that employs rigorous prospective experimental designs, appropriate control conditions, and both pre and post-intervention measures is required before firm conclusions can be drawn. However, there is sufficient evidence to support the continued use and further development of such industry-implemented strategies aimed at reducing gambling-related harm.

Keywords:

• Gambling
• harm reduction
• industry strategies
• consumer protection
• gambling industry
• gambling policy

Disclosure statement

Funding for the work reported in this document was provided by the Gambling Research Exchange Ontario (GREO). A ‘State of Problem Gambling Evidence’ grant was awarded to Dr. Dwight Mazmanian, Dr. Christopher Mushquash, Jessica Tanner, and Alexandra Kruse in April 2015 and a final report was submitted in October 2015. Portions of this document have been adapted from the final report to GREO. We are grateful to GREO for their continued support. Some of these findings were presented at the National Center for Responsible Gaming’s annual conference in Las Vegas, NV, September 2015. Dr. Christopher Mushquash is a Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Mental Health and Addiction and his involvement in this project is partially supported by the Canada Research Chairs programme. Jessica Tanner was supported by a Knowledge, Translation, and Exchange Student Fellowship from GREO. Dr. Dwight Mazmanian has received previous research funding from the Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre (now GREO). Apart from the funding sources noted, none of the authors have any actual or potential conflicts of interest to declare with respect to the content of this document.

Additional information

Funding

Gambling Research Exchange Ontario [10.13039/501100007553].