Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed everyday life, and policy makers have raised concerns about possible changes in gambling patterns during the pandemic. This study aimed to examine whether self-reported gambling has increased during the pandemic, and to examine potential correlates of such a change. This general population survey study in Sweden collected self-report data from 2016 web survey members (51 percent men, nine percent moderate-risk/problem gamblers). Correlates of increased gambling and increased gambling specifically due to COVID-19-related cancellation of sports were calculated. Four percent reported an overall gambling increase during the pandemic. The proportion of individuals reporting an increase, compared to individuals reporting a decrease, was markedly higher for online casinos (0.62), online horse betting (0.76) and online lotteries (0.73), and lower for sports betting (0.11). Overall, gambling increases were independently associated with gambling problems and increased alcohol consumption. In the sub-group, where there was an increase in specific gambling types in response to cancelled sports betting events, rates of gambling problems were high. In conclusion, only a minority report increased gambling in response to the pandemic, but this group has markedly higher gambling problems and changes in alcohol consumption, and may represent a sub-group with a particularly high vulnerability. This calls for preventive action in people with higher gambling risks in response to the pandemic.
Highlights
The ongoing COVID-19 crisis has had a broad and deep impact on people’s lives globally, and in addition to the physical harm from the pandemic, it is believed to have a high degree of impact on the mental health of the population [1,2]
Based on the impact described above from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is possible that gambling behavior could be altered because of the pandemic [5]
The overall gambling increase item was analyzed with respect to several potential risk factors, and the items significantly associated with a gambling increase in these chi-squared bivariate analyses were further entered in a logistic regression; due to the risk associated with multiple analyses, as 10 items were tested for potential associations, the significance level for inclusion in the logistic regression was set at p = 0.005
Summary
The ongoing COVID-19 crisis has had a broad and deep impact on people’s lives globally, and in addition to the physical harm from the pandemic, it is believed to have a high degree of impact on the mental health of the population [1,2]. Among the potential consequences of the pandemic and its impact on everyday life, it has been suggested that addictive behaviors may be enhanced [3]; this may, for example, include a risk of increased problematic online gaming [4]. While the current situation is obviously one that has never been seen before, previous larger national financial crises have been described to affect gambling behavior. Findings from the financial crisis of Iceland, starting with the bank crash in 2008, demonstrate that a crisis may increase specific types of gambling behavior. Public Health 2020, 17, 4013; doi:10.3390/ijerph17114013 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
