Gambling Raises the Stakes for Health Problems

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Problem gambling is very much a health issue, argues a researcher in this week's British Medical Journal.

Professor Mark Griffiths of Nottingham Trent University in the United Kingdom says pathological gambling is a hidden addiction because unlike alcoholism, there is no slurred speech or stumbling into work. Doctors routinely ask patients about smoking and drinking, but gambling is generally not mentioned.

This report responds to a gambling bill in the United Kingdom that relaxes many of the tight restrictions on gambling that have been in place since 1968. In addition to the new bill providing increased gambling opportunities, the Internet, interactive television, and mobile phones increase access even more.

Griffiths says the health and social costs of problem gambling are large at individual and societal levels and can include moodiness, depression, absenteeism from work, and family neglect.

A study in Nebraska illustrates a further worrisome trend. It shows a woman whose partner is a problem gambler is 10.5-times more likely to be a victim of violence from her partner than partners of non-problem gamblers. Another study by the National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling shows child abuse and domestic assaults rose by 42 percent and 80 percent respectively with the opening of casinos in South Dakota.

"If problem gambling is an addiction that can destroy families and have medical consequences, then clearly medical professionals should be aware of the effects of gambling in just the same way they are with other potentially addictive activities," Griffiths says.

He concludes there is an urgent need to increase awareness within the medical profession about these problems and develop effective preventatives.

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SOURCE: British Medical Journal, 2004;329:1055-1056