Discrimination and inequality among minority groups lead to gambling harms

New research commissioned by GambleAware, a leading charity in the United Kingdom, has investigated how minority groups in Great Britain are impacted by problem gambling, and what factors contribute to harm in these groups as the result of interaction with gambling.

The research established that representatives of minority groups were less likely to participate in gambling when compared to White British people. Only 31% of minority members would gamble compared to 48% for the control group. However, the report also highlighted another important trend.

Among minority members who would end up gambling, the rate of those suffering from gambling-related harms was twice as high as those suffered by White British people – set at 42% against 20% respectively. The data was collected with the help of researchers from Ipsos UK, ClearView Research and the University ofManchester.

The survey looked directly at why people from minority groups were gambling and what motivated them. According to the study, minority group representatives were three times more likely than the control group to turn to gamble as a coping mechanism for various challenges and difficulties in life. The exact percentage is given as 18% for minority groups to 6% for White British people.

Minorities also struggle to restrict their gambling – 9% say they find it hard compared to 1% of British White people. The group is also finding it harder to reduce the amounts spent on gambling – 28% against 14% for White British people.

However, minorities are almost as inclined to seek help for their gambling problems as are their White British counterparts, with the percentages posted at 58% to 61%. Commenting on these findings, ClearView Director of Impact Niamh McGarry said that the research is still needed "to find out what drives higher burdens of gambling harms in minority communities."

Regardless, the results indicated that minority groups were under increasing threat of suffering disproportionately from gambling harms. "Services must be designed with the voice of Minority communities centred throughout, and this research helps demonstrate that specific attention and specialised support is needed to effectively address these inequalities," McGarry explained.

GambleAware CEO Zoë Osmond was of a similar mind, arguing that GambleAware has long been committed to working with minority communities and helping them address gambling harms. According to Osmond, there was a higher prevalence of gambling harms amongst minorities, which demanded a tailored response from services and the government.

Ipsos North Head Nicola Moss said that additional research would help treatment services better understand how they can tailor their treatment plans to help minority groups by identifying the unique challenges they faced and the specific context that has brought them around. Recently, GambleAware donated £2m to Great Britain organizaitons to fight problem gambling.

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