A pre-pandemic Health Impact Assessment (HIA) about gambling in Guernsey showed a higher proportion of those surveyed locally participated in one or more gambling activity in the previous year compared to neighbouring jurisdictions.
It found that 79.9% of Guernsey survey respondents had gambled compared to 75.9% in the Isle of Man and 57% in Great Britain. The highest gambling activity was the Channel Islands Christmas Lottery, followed by scratch cards.
The report, published on this page, was commissioned in 2019 and produced by the Public Health Institute at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU). It was asked to assess the health impact on the Guernsey population in relation to gambling.
Research has shown that recreational gamblers are more likely to report poor physical and mental health and increased risk of health risk behaviours such as nicotine dependence, alcohol use disorder and substance use. From a Bailiwick perspective further evidence was needed to, a) understand the prevalence and types of gambling in Guernsey; b) assess the impact on health and wellbeing, and c) assess support available for at-risk and problem gamblers.
The team at the Public Health Institute, LJMU, used a mixed-methods approach to complete the HIA. This included a postal survey of a representative sample of the Guernsey population; a collation of qualitative (i.e. verbal) information obtained by interviewing stakeholders including those who run support services, and gamblers themselves in Guernsey; and a stakeholder workshop.
The research was carried out between September 2019 and February 2020, soon after which the COVID-19 pandemic significantly delayed the review and finalisation of the report.
Key findings from the HIA were:
- That the overall prevalence of any gambling activity was higher in Guernsey than in Isle of Man and Great Britain. 79.9% of Guernsey survey respondents had participated in one or more gambling activity within the past 12 months. By comparison, the figures were, for IOM 2017 75.9% and for Great Britain 2016 57%;
- Those who had gambled had a significantly higher prevalence of indictors of poor health compared to non-gamblers. These included higher rates of overweight/obesity, regular GP visits, tobacco smoking, binge drinking, violence victimisation and violence perpetration;
- The highest gambling activity was the Channel Islands Christmas Lottery (with 67.5% having participated including some below the legal age limit of 18);
- The second highest activity was purchase of scratch cards. This was an area where Guernsey gambling habits were found to differ starkly from comparison populations. 46.3% had purchased scratch cards in Guernsey, compared to 29.3% in Isle of Man and 21% in Great Britain —differences that are statistically significant. Analysis of scratch card revenue shows that sales of scratch cards have increased year on year and were higher in Guernsey than Jersey in every year since 2013 (data up to 2021). Scratch card use was found to be associated, more than any other gambling activity, with poor health indicators including poor general health, low mental wellbeing, living with excess weight/obesity, regular GP visits, mental health/counselling service attendance, poor diet, tobacco smoking, financial problems and violence perpetration.
- Most people who gamble do so without it being problematic. However, among Guernsey adults, 6.7% were identified as 'at-risk' gamblers and 0.9% as 'problem' gamblers. At-risk gambling was more prevalent among males (9.0%) than females (4.5%) and amongst 18-24 year-olds (18.9%) with prevalence decreasing with age. The prevalence of poor health indicators increased with the severity of gambling;
- The gambling landscape is changing and gambling activity is notably different for younger and older people in Guernsey. In-game purchasing (e.g. of loot boxes) as well as scratch card use were identified via survey results and stakeholder feedback as areas of concern among young gamblers. Without intervention the 18.9% of at-risk gamblers in the 18-24yrs group may become the problem gamblers of the future.
- Support services for at risk and problem gamblers require enhancement and pathways for accessing support need to be developed and communicated to stakeholders so that everyone understands what services are available and how to access them.
