Abstract
Gambling is a common activity amongst young adults in the UK, and was a behavior of interest during the early mitigation against COVID-19 (first lockdown). The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) was used to investigate attitudes, moods and behavior during lockdown in England. ALSPAC participants were invited to complete online questionnaires in May 2020, including a set of questions about frequency of gambling and gambling activities which had been asked three years previously. Mental health and wellbeing data and alcohol use were also collected as part of lockdown questionnaires. Gambling questions were completed by 2632 young adults, 71% female, with a mean age of 27.8 years. Overall, gambling frequency reduced during lockdown for both males and females, but more males engaged in regular (weekly) gambling. Gambling activities became more restricted compared to previous reports, but online gambling (e.g. online poker, bingo, casino games) was more frequent. Previous gambling behaviour predicted gambling frequency during lockdown. No associations were apparent between gambling frequency and measures of mental health and well-being. Heavy alcohol use was strongly linked with regular gambling during lockdown. Gamblers were more than twice as likely as non-gamblers to have experienced financial difficulties pre-COVID, but gambling frequency was not related to employment status during lockdown. Online gambling increased during lockdown, whilst offline gambling activities decreased in frequency. A small minority of regular weekly gamblers, who tended to be male and heavy users of alcohol, participated in a wide range of online and offline gambling activities.
Highlights
In the UK, gambling is a common activity amongst young adults
During lockdown physical gambling premises were required to shut, but national lottery tickets and scratchcards could still be purchased from stores, and online gambling continued as before, in-game betting was limited by the lack of live sport
The second Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) COVID-19 questionnaire was complete by 2711 young adults, with a mean age of 27.8 years (SD: 0.6)
Summary
In the Health Survey for England in 2018 (NHS Digital, 2019), 57% of adult men and 54% of adult women reported gambling in the past year. Mitigation strategies against COVID-19 resulted in a comprehensive set of restrictions on normal life in the UK (termed ‘lockdown’) from 23rd March until the beginning of July 2020. During this period, many people were confined to their homes, with impacts on their physical and mental health and personal relationships. To capture the impact of lockdown, it was important for longitudinal studies to mount ‘real- time’ data collection and given its prevalence in the UK population (NHS Digital, 2019), gambling was one important behavior to investigate. During lockdown physical gambling premises were required to shut, but national lottery tickets and scratchcards could still be purchased from stores (as well as online), and online gambling continued as before, in-game betting was limited by the lack of live sport
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