Due to modern technologies, casino games are more accessible and diversified. Players can use mobile phones to launch online slots, deposit within seconds, and play for money. And that’s good in terms of entertainment, but gambling addiction statistics state that these qualities are also harmful to those who have problems with self-control.
That’s why addictions to behaviors, or process addictions, require supportive treatment and players should be attentive to the responsible gaming question. Here, you will find casino gambling addiction statistics according to geo, gender, and other parameters.
Top Gambling Addiction Statistics Facts
To understand the scale of problems with modern casino games, here come gambling addiction facts and statistics:
- In each group of 100 players, 3 to 5 of them struggle with gambling addiction
- The risks are increased by 23-fold when players have problems with an alcohol disorder
- Among American players, 1% has serious problems with casino games
- Regarding UK adults, this percentage is decreased to 0.5%
- The group of players who are twice more affected by the problem is adult college students
- In China, the rehabilitation center for addictive players caters approximately 50 new patients monthly
- Only 1% of women who face gambling addiction ask for professional help
- Over 750,000 young people of 14 to 21 have problems with compulsive gaming
Gambling Addiction Statistics in Different Countries
Globally, the gambling market is forecasted to reach over $92.9 billion in 2023, which means that it’s rapidly developing in numerous countries. To get relevant statistics for gambling addiction, it’s reasonable to take into account situations in different areas. So here comes data according to the most popular regions.
USA and LATAM
In the US and LATAM, online gambling addiction statistics are as follows:
- In Mexico, the gambling market is anticipated to be valued at over $1.17 billion in 2023
- About 2.5 million Americans, which is 1% of the citizens, face gambling addiction
- As for American players who are at risk, about 3 million adults can become compulsive gamblers, 15 million adults can be problem gamblers, and 148 million citizens are in the low-risk gambling category
- Over 80% of US citizens gamble on an annual basis, spending about $500 billion on wages, and 15% of Americans gamble each week
- Average losses of about $55,000 make 23 million Americans go into debt
- The areas with the highest rate of gambling addiction are Montana, South Dakota, and Nevada
- According to Wallet Hub, the least gambling-addicted states are Utah, North Carolina, and Maine
Canada
According to statistics, gambling addiction in Canada is not that developed:
- About 75–79% of Canadians take part in at least a single gambling activity (like Canadian online casinos)
- The percentage of young Canadian players over 15 years old who are involved in gambling stands at 2%
- As for affected Canadians, 0.6% of the population has problems with compulsive bets
- Ontario features the range of 0.4–0.8% addictive players
UK
In the United Kingdom, statistics on gambling addiction are as follows:
- Recently, the rate of players who have problems with addiction has dropped from 0.6% to 0.3%
- Only 0.2% of female British players face compulsive gambling problems
- The UKGC stats show that for now, there are no gambling-addicted players aged 65 or more
- The groups of 16–24, 25–34, 45–54, and 55–64 show the addiction rates of 0.4%, 0.3%, 0.2%, and 0.2% accordingly. Groups of 16-24 and 25-34 at the same time show a tendency to choosing British online casinos over brick-and-mortar casinos
- A large group of 20.4% of players in Britain gambles more than 2 days a week
- According to the commission’s statistics, the rate of moderate-risk players is equal to 0.7%
Western Europe
These are statistics of gambling addiction in Western Europe:
- Across this territory, the rate of gambling addiction varies between 0.5–2%
- The rate of Dutch players with the compulsive gambling problem stands at 1%
- Scandinavian countries, including Estonia, Finland, and Switzerland, show a rate of over 3%
- Hungary has a much higher rate that is as high as 7%, with lotteries being admitted as the most popular gambling type
Australia and New Zealand
These are statistics of problem gambling as an addiction for the areas of Australia and New Zealand:
- About 0.5–1% of Australians have such problems, and for New Zealanders, this percentage doesn’t exceed 0.2%
- The largest average losses per player in Australia were fixed at $958
- While 56,000 players have serious problems with casino stakes, 158,000 Australians are moderate-risk players, and 373,000 are low-risk ones
Russia
Formally, gambling isn’t available in this country. Legislation passed in 2006 banned online gambling, and in 2009, all forms of gambling activity were banned within the territory. That’s why official statistics from this area aren’t available. However, some data has still been provided, according to which, there are 2 million fans of gambling in Moscow, at least 14% of Russians used to gamble at least once, and 10% of these players are put in the high-risk category, leaving about 40% of their budget at online casinos.
Japan
Japan’s recovery facilities receive about 5,222 calls about gambling addiction per year. And the number significantly grew in comparison to previous years. A recent government survey states that nearly 5 million Japanese players are addicted, which is 5% of the population. The stakes are placed at traditional pachinko, horse racing, and other activities like Japanese online casinos.
China
In China, the statistics from The First Rehabilitation Center for Problem Gamblers state that approximately 50 new patients are reaching out for help in the establishment. However, the center has been operating for 12 years, helping thousands of compulsive players. In comparison to 1.5% to 2% in Western countries, here, 2.5% to 4% of Chinese players suffer from the problem.
India
According to the Public Gaming Act of 1967, gambling in India is prohibited. Yet, local players keep on playing on international sites, so the statistics are as follows:
- On average, players of 20 to 45 years old gamble in India
- Over 5580 college students in Kerala, George took part in a survey, according to which, 19.5% of them used to gamble and 7.4% of them reported problems with the addiction
- As for adults, 80% of Indians gamble once a year, opting for lotteries, sports betting, and Indian casinos online
African Countries
African countries are also connected with gambling and, according to this data, may have problems with compulsive gaming:
- Sports betting is extremely popular in Africa, which is proved by the bets of 60 million Nigerians between 18 and 40 placing pets daily, spending $5 million daily
- At least 54% of citizens of the Sub-Saharan area used to try gambling, and Kenya leads the list, having 76% of its younger citizens spending money on different variations of bets for money
- In Uganda, this statistic stands at 57%, and 42% of Ghanaians have a similar position
Gambling Disorder Statistics — Demographics
According to gambling addiction statistics worldwide, around 26% of the population, or 1.6 billion people, gamble, and the global problem of gambling rates between 0.12–5.8%. Yet, the percentage for different age and gender groups varies.
Age
The age of players is also important when overcoming the addiction problem:
- According to the British Gambling Addiction Statistics Report, only 2.9% at the ages of 35 to 44 are involved in gambling
- Players of 20 to 30 years old are twice more vulnerable to facing risks connected with casino games
Gender
As gambling addiction gender statistics show, the percentage of addictive players will be different between male and female players:
- Gambling debts of male players stand at $55,000–90,000, and the amount for women doesn’t exceed $15,000
- About 30% of those who reach out for help at National Gambling Helpline are women, and Gamban states that 33% of its visitors are females
- Only 1% of females who face problems with gambling addiction do ask professionals for help
- Men gamble (64%) twice as much as women (36%)
Social Status
The gambling addiction from casino statistics also has the following data connected with the social status of players:
- In families where people have problems with casino games, the risk of divorce is 3 times higher
- Compared with the general population, racial and ethnic minorities face the problem of compulsive stakes more often
Gambling and Criminal Activity
The world statistics about gambling addiction are also connected with criminal activities:
- At Gamblers Anonymous, patients state that nearly one-third used to steal from their employers
- Over 66% of problem gamblers admit that they had to commit crimes to pay for their games.
- Domestic violence significantly increases in families where at least 1 person has problems with gambling addiction
- Approximately 90% of Gamblers Anonymous patients used to deal with illegal activities to pay for their games
College Gambling
Statistically, young players of 20 to 30 years old are in the highest risk group connected with the addiction of compulsive gambling. Statistically, the problems of this kind take place:
- About 6% of US college students try to overcome the following addiction
- By taking part in a survey, American students admitted that they gambled at least once during the past year
- The risks for college students are more than doubled
Gambling and Mental Illness
Players who suffer from gambling addiction are more vulnerable to having problems with mental health. And vice versa. The risk factors connected with compulsive gambling are depression, substance abuse, PTSD, and suicide.
Gambling and Depression
Compulsive gambling is connected with the depression of players, be it a result of losses or, vice versa, a cause for placing new bets. During the survey to explore this connection, 119 pathological gamblers were interviewed and the results are as follows:
- 76.47% had different symptoms of depression
- 28.57% were middle-depressed
- 34.45% had moderate depression
- 13.45% suffered from severe depression
Gambling and Suicide
Unfortunately, some statistics about casinos and gambling addiction are connected with suicide:
- One of 5 cases of problems with gambling are connected with suicide attempts
- This parameter is 20 times more than the rate among non-gambling people
Gambling and PTSD
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is also connected with addictive casino users:
- The group of addictive players who suffer from PTSD symptoms comes up to 12.5–29%
- A study that screened 260 Veterans proved that 32.7% of them used to gamble during a year and 25% of them opted for lottery
Gambling and Substance Abuse
Players who suffer from substance disorders are more vulnerable to facing problems with placing stakes compulsively and are predisposed to thrill-seeking behaviors. According to the study held in the US, alcohol addiction is connected with gambling addiction in 73% of cases.
Online Gambling Addiction
Because of being widely available, online gambling has a stronger effect. The statistics on online gambling addiction are here:
- On average, online players have 3 accounts in different casinos, though avid gamblers can have more
- One third to one-half of online casino visitors who face problems with gambling addiction state that they faced problems with gambling in land-based casinos before
- Due to the pandemic of Covid-19, the range of online customers and those who suffer from this addiction significantly increased
Did Covid-19 Affect the Growth of Gambling Addiction?
The gambling industry, in general, experienced a large drop during the coronavirus pandemic. However, closed land-based establishments made more players join online projects. The estimated increase of online gambling in this period stands at 10–20%. And the pandemic worsened health problems, including the ones connected with addictive behavior.
As a result, still, players keep on gambling and a certain group still faces problems with addiction. According to Journals.lww, Frontiers in Psychiatry, the number of compulsive gamblers increased by 17.6%.
Yet, in the UK, authorities prohibited the use of credit funds for gambling during the pandemic. And the Health Promotion Agency examined this situation in New Zealand, revealing that most of the reasons to gamble less during the pandemic were financial (50%) and the ones connected with players who didn’t want their families to see them gamble (15%).
Social Gambling – Is There Any Addiction?
Social gambling is known as the activity connected with the elements of gambling but provided on a social network platform for virtual currency. In other cases, it’s an activity that isn’t connected with business and the winnings are divided between the winners only. At any rate, the internet gambling addiction statistics state that this is still a behavior connected with the desire of participants to rely on a matter of chance and spend money on this.
Conclusion
Casino games for real money require a high level of responsibility as statistics about gambling addiction show that players who have problems with self-control suffer from the consequences of compulsive gambling. According to research, players from different areas and of different social positions can be affected, which means that responsible gaming organizations are a must, as well as basic responsible gaming terms and measures.
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