Scoping reviews

We conducted four scoping reviews to capture the current state of knowledge about gambling harms research. These reviews included 450 papers and reports.

These scoping reviews inform the Hub's work and the challenges that frame our research:

What initiates harmful gambling?
What is the everyday practice and portrayal of gambling in social groups?
What social and spatial inequalities exacerbate gambling harms?
What socio-technical innovations can help prevent or reduce gambling harms?

These reviews included 450 papers and reports. Scoping reviews aim to address wide-ranging topics where different study designs might be applicable (e.g. qualitative studies, quantitative surveys, laboratory experiments). As a result, they tend to be guided by broader research questions and do not assess the quality of included studies. The purpose of our four scoping reviews was, firstly, to examine the extent, range and nature of research activity on each Challenge; and secondly to describe the findings of the research we identified for dissemination to academic and non-academic audiences.

The key findings from the four scoping reviews are summarised in an evidence synthesis report that also suggests potential areas for further research, some of which are already being funded through the Hub's Research Innovation Fund.

Key findings from the scoping reviews

Challenge 1: What initiates harmful gambling?

There is a large body of evidence about the complex ways in which our individual biology, psychology, and cognition can be linked to harmful gambling. The evidence shows that while it is possible to change perceptions, motivations or decision-making processes to prevent or reduce harm from gambling at an individual level (for example through cognitive behavioural therapy), altering the environment could have a bigger impact on a larger number of people.

Challenge 2: What is the everyday practice and portrayal of gambling in social groups?

For social groups of all kinds and ages, gambling can be part-and-parcel of everyday social situations and interactions: going to the races with family; a rite of passage for 18-year-olds at a casino; or an intrinsic part of the enjoyment of watching football on TV with friends. Its pervasiveness is amplified by commercial factors such as gambling marketing and technology-enabled access to gambling products. The evidence also highlights that the impacts of harmful gambling can extend beyond the person who gambles to those around them. Social groups and interactions also form part of the treatment and support ecosystem.

Challenge 3: What social and spatial inequalities exacerbate gambling harms?

The evidence demonstrates the co-existence of social and spatial inequalities and gambling harms, including links between gambling harms and socio-economic disadvantage; the disproportionate impact of gambling harms within minority ethnic groups; and inequalities and harms associated with the geographical position and density of electronic gaming machines. A better understanding of how inequalities exacerbate gambling harms could inform targeted interventions that reduce harm among at-risk groups and communities.

Challenge 4: What socio-technical innovations can help prevent or reduce gambling harms?
There is some evidence that ‘responsible gambling’ messages in the form of personalised feedback can reduce the amount of money and time spent gambling, but the industry could do more to provide messaging tailored to individuals and based on their gambling behaviours. While there are a range of ‘responsible gambling’ tools such as time and deposit limits and self-exclusion schemes, there is limited evidence about their longer-term effectiveness, and they are easily circumvented. Altering the environment (including changing the design of gambling products) could have a bigger preventative impact on a larger number of people; as could getting more people into early effective treatment and support to reduce harm once it has occurred.

Read the evidence synthesis report

T‌his summarises the key findings from the four scoping reviews and suggests potential areas for further research.

Evidence Synthesis Report (PDF, 2,763kB)

Scoping reviews

What initiates harmful gambling? (PDF, 827kB)

What is the everyday practice and portrayal of gambling in social groups? (PDF, 1,062kB)

What social and spatial inequalities exacerbate gambling harms? (PDF, 995kB)

What socio-technical innovations can help prevent or reduce gambling harms? (PDF, 1,331kB)