The study of differences by region and type of gambling on the degree of gambling addiction in Japan

Shingo Hayano,Yoshie Miyata,Sakutaro Kasuga,Ran Dong

doi:10.1038/s41598-021-92137-8

Shingo Hayano, Yoshie Miyata + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-92137-8

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Abstract

We conducted an online national survey using the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) on 42,880 people in Japan to identify gambling addiction prevalence differences with regard to gambling type and region. This study included 14,780 individuals (valid responses) who engaged in gambling activities in the past year. There was a large difference in mean SOGS score by gambling type: public gambling and casinos score ≈ 4.0, whereas lotteries (including numbers, etc.) ≈ 1.43. SOGS scores were much higher for those who participated in more than one gambling type than for those who participated in only one type. Regional differences in SOGS scores were also confirmed, with more populous prefectures having lower and less populous having higher SOGS scores. Integrating SOGS scores with existing data concerning hobbies and recreational behaviors across regions indicated that regions characterized by lower SOGS scores were also characterized by greater activity for hobbies and recreational behaviors.

Highlights

Japan passed the Integrated Resort (IR) Bill in 2018, which attracted considerable attention due to its attempt to institutionalize casinos, which were currently illegal
This paper conducted an online survey using South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) to confirm gambling addiction status differences depending on gambling types practiced in Japan and regional differences
Prefectural SOGS tended to be higher for smaller populations, and SOGS scores were higher in Yamanashi, Tottori, Shimane, and Kagoshima prefectures, where there were no public gambling halls

Summary

Introduction

Japan passed the Integrated Resort (IR) Bill in 2018, which attracted considerable attention due to its attempt to institutionalize casinos, which were currently illegal. Large-scale surveys of people who gambled in the past year include the Kurihama Medical and Addiction Center 2016 Survey (Kurihama Survey 2016)a (a–e: please see supplementary information), which surveyed 2200 people (993 valid responses) in 11 cities; and the Kurihama Medical and Addiction Center 2017 Survey (Kurihama Survey 2017)b, which surveyed 10,000 people (4685 valid responses) nationwide. All these previous studies in Japan used the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) for gambling screens. Nikkoso Survey 2017 included 9000 people (5060 valid responses), but the survey methodology was sound, it cannot be compared with other large-scale surveys because it used a unique method to measure gambling addiction

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