Exploring the relationship between alcohol use and gambling participation and their impacts on associated harms

This short report explores the relationship between alcohol use and gambling participation and their associated harms in Victoria. Specifically, the aim of the project is to describe the groups most commonly participating in drinking and gambling, study the relationship between alcohol use (heavy episodic drinking and alcohol use while gambling) and gambling participation and harm, and describe this relationship in different demographic and socio-economic populations.

The current analyses are conducted with data from the Victorian population gambling and health study 2018–2019. This study aimed to survey gambling problems, gambling harms, attitudes towards gambling and correlates of gambling among the adult population in Victoria. The study involved 10,638 randomly selected adult participants who completed the core computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI). The current study used secondary data from this large representative survey that focused on gambling, health and wellbeing (Rockloff et al., 2020). For this report, data were used from the 2,704 participating Victorians who were asked additional survey questions, including questions about alcohol use.

Findings

The findings of this report indicate that alcohol use is associated with gambling in general, but also with specific gambling products. Various ways of gambling were associated with engagement in heavy episodic drinking (6+ drinks in a single occasion) and with alcohol use while gambling. Both drinking patterns were associated with the experience of specific gambling-related harms.

In the Victorian population:

• 48.6 per cent of respondents used alcohol in a way that placed them at risk of short- or long-term health and social harm
• 69.1 per cent gambled in the last year
• 43.1 per cent engaged in heavy episodic drinking in the last year, 10% did this monthly and about 7% weekly or daily.

Among Victorians who gambled in the last year (N=1,720):

• About 85.9 per cent report any alcohol use with the AUDIT-C (compared to 81.7 per cent of the total population (N=2,704)
• 31.2 per cent engaged in alcohol use while gambling
• 10.4 per cent experienced some harm because of their gambling, such as financial loss or feelings of shame.
  
  

Among Victorians who reported any heavy episodic drinking in the last year (N=1,003)

• 47.1 per cent engaged in alcohol use while gambling
• 12.7 per cent experienced any harm as a function of their gambling.

Among Victorians who drank while gambling:

• 16.8 per cent experienced any harm as a function of their gambling (compared to 10.4 per cent overall).

This report further details how alcohol use and specific drinking patterns such as heavy episodic drinking (drinking 6+ drinks on one occasion) and alcohol use while gambling were associated with gambling, gambling products and gambling harms.

Given the high co-occurrence of alcohol use, gambling, and gambling-related harms, this report discusses the opportunities for prevention.