An Exploratory Study of the Relationship Between Financial Well-Being and Changes in Reported Gambling Behaviour During the COVID-19 Shutdown in Australia

Thomas B Swanton,Alex Blaszczynski,Martin T Burgess,Sally M Gainsbury

doi:10.4309/jgi.2021.48.7

Abstract

A change in someone’s financial situation, such as a windfall gain or increased financial stress, can affect the way that they gamble. The aim of this paper was to explore the relationship between financial well-being and changes in gambling behaviour during the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) shutdown. Australian past-year gamblers (N = 764; 85% male) completed an online cross-sectional survey in May 2020. Participants retrospectively reported monthly gambling participation before and after the COVID-19 shutdown, as well as their financial well-being, experience of COVID-related financial hardship, problem gambling severity, and psychological distress. Financial well-being showed strong negative associations with problem gambling and psychological distress. Neither financial well-being nor the interaction between financial well-being and problem gambling severity showed consistent evidence for predicting changes in gambling participation during the shutdown in this sample. This study provides preliminary evidence that self-reported financial well-being has a strong negative association with gambling problems but is not related to gambling participation. Future studies should link objective measures of financial well-being from bank transaction data with survey measures of problem gambling severity and experience of gambling-related harm.

Highlights

The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused major social and economic disruption in Australia and internationally
We aimed to explore the relationship between financial well-being and changes in gambling behaviour among a sample of Australian gamblers during the initial COVID-19 shutdown
We aimed to explore the relationship between financial well-being and changes in gambling behaviour during the COVID-19 shutdown

Summary

Introduction

The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused major social and economic disruption in Australia and internationally. Impacts were felt differently across the population: Some people reported increased financial stress and job loss, whereas others experienced windfall gains from government economic stimulus programs, reduced expenses, or increased demand for their business (Biddle et al, 2020) Both financial stress and windfall gains can influence gambling behaviour (Buchanan et al, 2020; Lye & Hirschberg, 2014). In Australia, the first major restrictions and economic stimulus packages in response to COVID-19 were announced in March 2020 (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2020c) These measures affected people’s ability to work and their financial situation, and they restricted travel to essential activities only. Most major domestic and international sporting events were cancelled, resulting in fewer opportunities for sports betting This action constituted a historic change in the availability of gambling in Australia, given that the majority of gambling expenditure typically occurs in land-based venues (Queensland Government Statistician’s Office, 2019). The reduced availability of gambling seemed likely to lead to a decrease in gambling participation in the initial stages of the pandemic; it was possible that disruptions to people’s normal financial situation might motivate more intense gambling

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