Researchers from Oxford analysed anonymised data from bank accounts
Of the cohort, 43 per cent of people appeared to have placed at least one bet
Higher levels of gambling raise the risk of financial problems and unemployment
Betting more than 30% of your expenditure makes you 37% more likely to die
But, the team said, even low levels of gambling can lead to negative outcomes
And their analysis revealed that even a casual habit may be a slippery slope
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Gambling has changed a lot in recent years. Mobile apps give people unlimited access to the global betting market at the touch of a button from anywhere in the world. As the number of gamblers has increased, so too have bookmakers’ profit margins and the amount of problem gambling. Yet we still can’t say for sure how gambling and financial troubles are linked.
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As a result, there is some pushback. The Gambling Commission is reviewing current legislation, has announced new restrictions on how online bookmakers can operate and there is talk of banning gambling advertising from sports shirts, reminiscent of when tobacco firms faced a similar outlawing.
Greater risk of unemployment and death for heavy gamblers, research says February 4 2021, 4.01pm
Heavy gamblers are at greater risk of becoming unemployed, having financial problems and even dying, researchers have said (Bradley Collyer/PA)
A new study suggests heavy gamblers are at greater risk of becoming unemployed, having financial problems and even dying.
Researchers at the University of Oxford said high levels of betting are associated with a 37% increase in mortality and found there is a slippery slope from casual punts to problem gambling.
Their paper, published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, used data from banks and found that individuals with jobs in the highest percentiles of gambling had a 6% likelihood of experiencing future unemployment.