Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: Aug 23, 2021
Open Peer Review Period: Aug 23, 2021 - Aug 31, 2021
Date Accepted: Sep 18, 2021
Date Submitted to PubMed: Oct 22, 2021
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Effects of a national preventive intervention against potential COVID-19-related gambling problems. A self-report survey in online gamblers.
ABSTRACT
Background:
The COVID-19 pandemic has been suspected to increase gambling problems in the population. Several governments early introduced COVID-19-specific interventions aiming to prevent gambling problems, but their effects have not been evaluated.
Objective:
The present study aimed to evaluate a Swedish COVID-19-related temporary legislation imposing an automated weekly deposit limit for online casino gambling.
Methods:
The study was an anonymous survey sent by the state-owned gambling operator to online gamblers (N=619, among whom 54 percent moderate-risk/problem gamblers) who reached the weekly limit on online gambling during the summer of 2020.
Results:
Sixty percent were aware of having been limited by a COVID-19-related policy intervention, and a minority (23 percent) perceived the intervention as fairly bad or very bad. Among those aware of the intervention, 39 percent believed this intervention decreased their overall gambling, whereas eight percent believed it rather increased it. However, 83 percent reported having gambled on more than one operator after the limit, and the most common gambling type reported to have increased at another operator was online casino (42 percent in moderate-risk/problem gamblers and 19 percent in others, p<0.001). Having increased gambling following the intervention was associated with being a moderate-risk/problem gambler, and by negative attitudes towards the intervention.
Conclusions:
A weekly deposit limit had high acceptability, but the study highlights the limitations of a single-operator deposit limit, given the high number of gamblers also reporting to gamble on other operators, and the lower effect in clients with gambling problems.
Citation
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