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Internet Gambling, Health, Smoking and Alcohol Use: Findings from the 2007 British Gambling Prevalence Survey

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Abstract

This study provides analysis of a representative national sample of Internet gamblers. Using participant data from the 2007 British Gambling Prevalence Survey (n = 9003 adults aged 16 years and over), all participants who had gambled online, bet online, and/or who had used a betting exchange in the last 12 months (6% of the total sample) were compared with all other gamblers who had not gambled via the Internet (62% of the sample). Results showed that Internet gambling and non-Internet gambling had a significant association with smoking (nicotine) and drinking (alcohol). Self-reported general health status was not significantly associated with Internet gambling but was significantly associated with offline gambling. Analysis of DSM-IV scores showed that problem gambling prevalence rate was significantly higher among Internet gamblers than non-Internet gamblers (5% versus 0.5%) and that Internet gamblers were significantly more likely to endorse individual DSM-IV items compared to non-Internet gamblers.

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Notes

  1. The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) is the largest independent social research institute in Britain. It designs, carries out and analyses research studies in the fields of social and public policy. It employs over 100 research staff who work on a wide range of social policy areas, including health, crime, education, employment, travel, social attitudes and families. NatCen is a not-for-profit company that conducts social research on behalf of a range of public bodies, including central government departments and agencies, universities, research councils, and charitable trusts and foundations.

  2. This group of ‘non-Internet gamblers’ under an ‘umbrella heading’ is a very diverse group of people covering a wide range and the socio-demographics characteristics and activities.

  3. The findings in this section may just be a function of sample size for offline gamblers being much larger. Therefore, these may not be real differences and could be an artefact of sample size.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. International Gaming Research Unit, Division of Psychology, Nottingham Trent University, Burton Street, Nottingham, NG1 4BU, UK

    Mark Griffiths

  2. National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), London, UK

    Heather Wardle, Kerry Sproston & Bob Erens

  3. School of Psychology, The University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK

    Jim Orford

Authors
  1. Mark Griffiths
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  2. Heather Wardle
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  3. Jim Orford
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  4. Kerry Sproston
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  5. Bob Erens
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mark Griffiths.

Additional information

This study was funded by the Gambling Commission

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Griffiths, M., Wardle, H., Orford, J. et al. Internet Gambling, Health, Smoking and Alcohol Use: Findings from the 2007 British Gambling Prevalence Survey. Int J Ment Health Addiction 9, 1–11 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-009-9246-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-009-9246-9

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