Gambling-related harm and vulnerability

Roadmap - The impact of gambling on people who gamble and affected others

There is a relatively well-established body of research on the negative impacts of gambling and consumers’ experiences of gambling-related harm. From a regulatory perspective, we would benefit from more studies and data which explore how particular products, environments and behaviours relate to different experiences of harms, to enable us to better understand potential risks. To do this, we need a solid understanding of how gambling-related harms manifest, and how this can change over time.

We are also considering the role that cohort effects may play, and which groups may be more likely to move through their gambling journeys at a higher risk of experiencing harms than others. Longitudinal evidence would also enable exploration of whether there are points within consumer journeys where lower risk play transitions into something more harmful. There are also some interesting questions to be explored around the area of ‘legacy harms’ – where consumers continue to experience negative consequences from gambling, even after they have ceased their involvement through self-exclusion or when in recovery following treatment. The impact of gambling on people who do not gamble themselves remains under-researched.

The focus of our interest on this topic relates to whether there are particular products or environments related to negative experiences for families, wider connections, and communities (such as 'affected others') but we expect others to have a wider research interest in this area.

Roadmap - Links between gambling and suicidality

Gambling harms can have profound effects on individuals, families, and communities, and in the most severe cases, may contribute to suicide. The Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) provides data on gambling-related suicidality, including suicidal thoughts, and attempts. Complementing this, the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS) (opens in new tab) provides insights into suicidality in England and deepens our understanding of gambling behaviours within the broader context of health inequalities. However, robust data on completed deaths by suicide related to gambling in Great Britain is still a gap in the evidence base.

While current evidence highlights a clear association between gambling and suicidality, significant gaps remain in understanding how specific events and circumstances may lead to gambling-related suicide. To address this, the UK’s first psychological autopsy study (opens in new tab) is underway, aiming to explore the risk factors, environmental influences, contextual elements, and behavioural patterns involved. Accurate and comprehensive information about the nature and extent of the link between gambling and suicidal behaviour is essential for effective prevention efforts.

The focus of our own activities here will be to consider how research that is carried out by a range of bodies on the links between gambling and suicidality might shape future regulatory approaches.

Forward look - Gambling-related harm and vulnerability

We need to continue to build high quality evidence, gathered within Great Britain, to establish whether and to what extent we can make causational links between gambling and severe harms. This will require a mix of longitudinal, co-produced research with those with lived experience, improved data access and sharing (for example mortality data linked with other forms of data, such as banking and gambling account activity data), and in-depth qualitative studies. Research exploring gambling harms should always be delivered with robust ethics procedures in place, and with necessary signposting to treatment and support for participants. Reporting of findings should avoid stigma and sensationalising personal narratives, to ensure that the evidence base itself does not exacerbate harms among vulnerable groups.

We will be continuing to build on the solid foundations of the Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) to conduct further in-depth research with people who have been negatively affected by someone else’s gambling. We will also continue to conduct in depth analysis of the survey data to go beyond the PGSI to build a better understanding of negative consequences of gambling among particular demographic groups.

Are you conducting research or planning to conduct research on any of our priority topics? If so, please tell us about it by completing our online form (opens in new tab).

Find out more about our other evidence roadmaps. You can find links to the other themes in the related content section.