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Statistical risk warnings in gambling

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 November 2020

PHILIP W.S. NEWALL Open the ORCID record for PHILIP W.S. NEWALL [Opens in a new window] ,
LUKASZ WALASEK ,
ARMAN HASSANNIAKALAGER Open the ORCID record for ARMAN HASSANNIAKALAGER [Opens in a new window] ,
ALEX M.T. RUSSELL ,
ELLIOT A. LUDVIG  and
MATTHEW BROWNE
PHILIP W.S. NEWALL*
Affiliation:
Experimental Gambling Research Laboratory, School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, CQUniversity, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
LUKASZ WALASEK
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK
ARMAN HASSANNIAKALAGER
Affiliation:
University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK
ALEX M.T. RUSSELL
Affiliation:
Experimental Gambling Research Laboratory, School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, CQUniversity, Sydney, NSW, Australia
ELLIOT A. LUDVIG
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK
MATTHEW BROWNE
Affiliation:
Experimental Gambling Research Laboratory, School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, CQUniversity, Bundaberg, QLD, Australia
*
*Correspondence to: Experimental Gambling Research Laboratory, School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, CQUniversity, 120 Spencer St, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia. Email: p.newall@cqu.edu.au
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Abstract

Gambling is considered a public health issue by many researchers, similarly to alcohol or obesity. Statistical risk warnings on gambling products can be considered a public health intervention that encourages safer gambling while preserving freedom of consumer choice. Statistical risk warnings may be useful to gamblers, given that net gambling losses are the primary driver of harm and that gambling products vary greatly in the degree to which they facilitate losses. However, there is some doubt as to whether statistical risk warnings are, in their current form, effective at reducing gambling harm. Here, we consider current applications and evidence, discuss product-specific issues around a range of gambling products and suggest future directions. Our primary recommendation is that current statistical risk warnings can be improved and also applied to a wider range of gambling products. Such an approach should help consumers to make more informed judgements and potentially encourage gambling operators to compete more directly on the relative ‘price’ of gambling products.

Type
Review Article
Information
Behavioural Public Policy , Volume 7 , Issue 2 , April 2023 , pp. 219 - 239
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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