Gambling problems linked to location

New research showing a significant link between how close you live to a gambling venue and the likelihood of your developing a gambling problem should concern local authorities, the Ministry of Health says.

Raising The Odds?, a recently released study by the Ministry's public health unit, found people were far more likely to develop gambling problems the closer they lived to a casino, TAB or pokie bar.

Researchers said that while having gambled on any type of gaming activity was not related to accessibility, people who lived near a gambling venue were more likely to have gambled there and were more likely to have gambling problems.

"These findings suggest that policies aimed at preventing and minimising gambling-related harm could focus on environmental modifications which increase people's distance to gambling venues," the report said.

Councils could consider planning changes to limit the number of gambling venues in an area, or to reduce the dispersal of gambling venues throughout a region, researchers said.

The Christchurch City Council has already imposed a moratorium on new poker machines in the city.

However, the move has proven controversial, with community and sports groups who receive a share of the money gambled in the machines complaining that the ban reduces their incomes.

The Ministry study was based on analysis of the 2002-03 New Zealand Health Survey, which had more than 12,000 respondents.

The Ministry said that survey's methods, such as it oversampling for ethnic groups to ensure an accurate representation for those peoples, created statistical limitations for gambling researchers.

However, its findings were consistent with other research which suggested a link between location and gambling.

The report also noted there was no way to tell whether problem gamblers had chosen to live as close as possible to places where they could place a bet, and suggested that question needed further research.

New Zealanders spent $1.87 billion on gambling in 2003, the year of the survey. Gambling peaked at just over $2b in 2005, but dropped to $1.977b in 2006.

Surveys have estimated between 1.3 per cent and 3.3 per cent of New Zealanders are problem gamblers; the health survey put the figure at 1.2 per cent.

"Gambling problems can affect not only the gambler, but also their family/whanau, friends, work colleagues and wider community," the report said.

"This study found gambling behaviour was significantly associated with gambling accessibility, and in particular with the distance to the nearest gambling venue."

THE ODDS: People living closer to gambling venues are significantly more likely to have gambled than those living furthest from gambling venues, and to have a gambling problem.

The more gambling venues within 5km of your home, the more likely you are to have gambled. People with some non-casino gaming machines within 800m of their neighbourhood centre were more likely to have played the pokies than people who did not. Source: Ministry of Health gambling behaviour report