Mental Health Over Time and Financial Concerns Predict Change in Online Gambling During COVID-19

Abstract

This study examined online gambling behavior during COVID-19 land-based gambling restrictions and associations with changes in mental health, impacts on household income due to the pandemic, financially focused motivations, and symptoms of gambling problems. A repeated online survey was administered to adult gamblers in Ontario, Canada. Wave 1 was conducted at the beginning of the first COVID-19 lockdown (April 2020) and wave 2 in August 2020. Respondents (N = 940) completed validated self-report questionnaires related to depression and anxiety, financial motivation, financial impacts due to the pandemic, online gambling behaviors, and problem gambling symptomatology. A cluster analysis identified three subgroups: no online gambling (subgroup 1), engagement in a range of gambling games online and change in gambling involvement (i.e., some increased and some decreased gambling; subgroup 2), and predominantly online lottery play with no change in online gambling (subgroup 3). Respondents who reported increased anxiety and depression symptom severity between the two waves and those who experienced greater symptoms of problem gambling and negative impacts on household income due to COVID-19 were most likely to be found in subgroup 2. Greater financial focus was also noted in this group. Results indicate a link between change in online gambling involvement during COVID-19 and increased mental health problems, elevated problem gambling severity, negative impacts on household income, and a greater financially focused self-concept. These results may help generate novel research questions examining short and longterm effects of the pandemic on online behaviors that inform policy and practice.

COVID-19 and resultant restrictions on gambling behaviour

“…Individuals who gambled during heightened restrictions reported stronger symptoms of depression and anxiety; mean scores on the PHQ-4 were 5.83 vs 2.63 (p<0.001). There were similar findings in Canada ( Price et al 2022 ) and Italy ( Lugo et al 2021 ). Of the studies that found marginal or no impacts of gambling on mental health, no relationship between anxiety and gambling frequency was found in a UK-based study (Emond et al 2021) and the use of gambling-related advice, support and treatment remained largely unchanged during the first year of the pandemic ( Gunstone et al 2020 ).…”

“…Similarly in the US, amongst 424 participants who had previously gambled, there was a significant decrease in online gambling but 8% of this sample who had not previously gambled did so for the first time after the onset of COVID-19 ( Xuereb et al 2021 ). Gambling behaviours may have been negatively impacted amongst specific cohorts; Emond et al (2021) and Price et al (2022) found that online gambling increased for groups of occasional or regular gamblers.…”

Risk Factors for Gambling Disorder: A Systematic Review

“…The studies indicate a link between change in online gambling involvement during COVID-19 and increased mental health problems (Price et al, 2022), including stress from boredom (Fluharty et al, 2022), and higher levels of depression and anxiety (Fluharty et al, 2022;Price et al, 2022).…”

“…During 2020/21 almost one-quarter of online gamblers increased their gambling during lockdown (Bellringer & Garrett, 2021;Fluharty et al, 2022;Swanton et al, 2021), with this most likely to be on overseas gambling sites, instant scratch card gambling and Lotto (Bellringer & Garrett, 2021;Price et al, 2022). The sociodemographic risk factor for increased online gambling was higher education (Bellringer & Garrett, 2021), or low education (Fluharty et al, 2022), and financial difficulties related to COVID (Price et al, 2022;Swanton et al, 2021).…”

Relieving the Gambling Itch Through Alcohol Consumption: The Impact of COVID-19 Restrictions on Australian Casino Patrons

“…The COVID-19 pandemic can be regarded as a major external stressor (Price et al, 2022 ). Due to the major negative effects of the pandemic to the economy (Fernandes, 2020 ), employment (Zhang et al, 2020 ) and mental health (Dsouza et al, 2020 ), the pandemic effects are distinct from other types of stressors that have been discussed in previous SRD studies.…”