Gamblers may die younger, suggests study

A new study suggests heavy gamblers are at greater risk of becoming unemployed, having financial problems and even dying.

Researchers at Oxford said high levels of betting are associated with a 37% increase in mortality and found there was a slippery slope from casual punts to problem gambling.

Their paper, published by journal Nature Human Behaviour, used data from banks and found individuals with jobs in the highest percentiles of gambling had a 6% likelihood of experiencing future unemployment.

On the risk of death, it added: “High levels of gambling are associated with a likelihood of mortality that is about one-third higher, for both men and women, younger and older.”

In the paper, using a smaller sample of 100,000 people in 2018, the study found 43% of those found to have made a gambling transaction in that year.

The study found mean average spending of £1,345 in the year on gambling, compared with a median figure of £125.

Researchers also looked at how gambling can become a “sticky behaviour”.

The study said: “We find that, for example, three years earlier (2015) around half of the highest-spending gamblers were already gambling heavily, while only six months before, over 6.9% of these heavy gamblers were not gambling at all, highlighting the fast acceleration with which some individuals can transition into heavy gambling.”

It also found a negative association between gambling and self-care, and an association between bets with those spending more with bookmakers travelling less and being more likely to spend at night.