Gambling harm-focused UK charity GambleAware released the findings of new research comparing gambling experiences and gambling harms in Great Britain, concluding that minorities are twice as likely to develop gambling harm compared to white British majority people.

Increased Vulnerabilities for Minorities

The report named “Minority Communities & Gambling Harms: Quantitative Report – Lived Experience, Racism, Discrimination and Stigma,” surveyed 1,220 minority and 1,779 white British majority adults over the age of 18 from England, Wales, and Scotland as part of a GambleAware grant awarded to Ipsos, the University of Manchester and ClearView Research.

Commenting on the report, Niamh McGarry, director of Impact at ClearView Research, outlined that the results point to “increased vulnerabilities” for gamblers from minority communities, as well as a heightened risk for them of experiencing gambling harm.

McGarry then called for new services in which the voice of the minorities is key to be designed, pointing to the research as proof “that specific attention and specialized support is needed to effectively address these inequalities.”

The research found that gamblers from minority groups are facing a much higher risk of experiencing gambling harms (42%) than their counterparts from the majority white British people (20%), urging further research to identify the drivers behind this occurrence.

Further Investigation Needed

Also commenting, the chief executive officer of GambleAware, Zoë Osmond, reiterated the charity’s commitment to “building knowledge about the lived experience of minority communities and gambling harms,” in particular, the drivers of gambling harms experienced by people from these communities.

“The higher prevalence of gambling harms amongst minority groups, coupled with the fact they are less likely to access specialist gambling services, is alarming and demonstrates the clear need for further investigation and tailored solutions,” she added, urging everyone involved to help “break down the barriers to accessing support, and challenge the stigma and discrimination faced by these communities.”

The research also found that 18% of minority gambling adults are likely to use gambling as a coping mechanism to look away from challenges and difficulties in their lives, whereas only 6% of white British gamblers are likely to lean into gambling in response to life challenges.

Minority gamblers are more inclined to say that they would limit their gambling but then find it difficult to achieve that and the disparity with white British gamblers on this is even higher – 9% vs. 1%. Minority people are also more likely to report their intention to reduce their gambling, 28%, compared to only 14% for white British people.

On the question of seeking formal support, 58% of minority gamblers are likely to feel comfortable doing so as compared to 61% of their white British counterparts, mainly due to fear of judgment and stigma.