Does inflation increase the risk of gambling addiction?

Lately it is not only energy that has become more expensive but even foodstuffs. A recently published study from Great Britain has concluded that the rapid increase in prices is linked to an increase in the risk of gambling addiction in women.

In an article published last August we had tried to analyse whether people are playing less on online casinos because of the gas crisis and because of inflation. According to a recent study, the record-breaking inflation can also affect the behaviour of casino players. But why do women gamble more when there is an increase in inflation?

One in every four women gamble more when there is an increase in inflation

16,000 women aged between 18 and 49 years took part in the survey which was carried out on the current record inflation and on the issue of online gambling. Around one fourth of the women admitted that they would change their gambling behaviour and gamble more because of an increase in inflation. The study was carried out and published by GambleAware and can be accessed online here.

Absorbing the increase in prices through casino winnings?

Many participants hope to increase their own financial position through possible casino winnings. During the GambleAware-Study, 12 % of the women who participated admitted that at that point in time they were gambling more than before. The Chairperson of the player protection organisation, Zoe Osmond, stated that women must be more informed about the risks associated with gambling. It is of course not a good idea to want to compensate for the increase in monthly costs by casino winnings which may not even come through. In another article we had already tackled the issue of which player type is especially prone to addiction.

Do people really play more when inflation is higher?

The British Study made by GambleAware indeed concludes that women gamble more when inflation is higher. They do this with the hope that they might win and thus compensate for the higher costs. However, one cannot generally say that people indulge more in online gambling when there is high inflation, as we are in fact experiencing now, people indulge more in gambling. We must wait for the turnover figures of the large gambling firms to be able to confirm this. Besides, we recently on GambleJoe we recently reported about an interview between a gambling addict and a casino owner.

Conclusion

The prices increase and increase – whether gas, electricity, foodstuffs or services.

Image Source: https://pixabay.com/de/photos/tafel-schultafel-wirtschaft-1193333/