News

Tuesday, 21 April 2009 04:32

In a recent study carried out by the Addictions Department of Harvard Medical School, the conclusions drawn show that today’s online gamblers are actually gambling more moderately and with more discipline than gamblers were credited for back in the 1970s. The director, Dr. Howard Shaffer published his team’s findings yesterday.

Dr. Shaffer had been working in conjunction with Bwin, the European Internet gambling group to develop a better understanding about the many aspects of responsible gambling. Those findings are in direct contrast to the popular theories advanced by certain media and political organisations. Those results show that in today’s world of easy access to gambling outlets and especially the Internet, there has actually been no increase in the prevalence of what is defined as problem gambling since the 1970s. In fact, the results show that despite the increase in gambling numbers, there is actually a decline in the percentage of problem gamblers of 0.7% in the 1970s to just 0.6% today.

Shaffer said that the first thing that was learned from the study, which was completely unexpected, was the vast and overwhelming majority of people who gamble online are gambling so moderately and mildly.

Dr. Shaffer’s findings contradict earlier predictions that the much wider availability and easier access to gambling could lead to a greater increase in problems related to gambling. In fact, the opposite has been shown to be the case. These results have a particular significance with regard to the current political debates concerning legislation to control and restrict online gambling. 

He also suggests that by bringing in legislation to prevent people from gambling on the Internet in unlikely to have any effect in reducing the instances of problem gambling. If anything, restriction promotes more of the psychological reasoning behind problem gambling in which it is seen by those of a more rebellious disposition to do something which they have been told the cannot do. Instead, we should be looking towards education and raising public awareness as well as promoting the truth in all advertising regulations. These are the ways in which to more effectively help to keep the gambler safe.