यूके जुआ आयोग ने आज (25 जुलाई) जुए के परिणामों पर एक नया सर्वेक्षण जारी किया है। उद्योग के स्टेकहोल्डर्स ने इस विवादास्पद डेटा की आलोचना इसके प्रकाशित होने से पहले ही कर दी थी, क्योंकि वे संभावित नए नियमों और अपने क्षेत्र के लिए महत्वपूर्ण प्रभावों के लिए तैयार थे।
जुए के परिणाम
सर्वेक्षण में कहा गया है, "कुल मिलाकर, सभी प्रतिभागियों में से 11.4 प्रतिशत ने बताया कि उन्होंने पिछले 12 महीनों में या तो अपनी जान लेने के बारे में सोचा था या ऐसा करने का प्रयास किया था।" "ये अनुमान 2014 में सबसे लेटेस्ट वयस्क मनोरोग रुग्णता सर्वेक्षण द्वारा बताए गए अनुमानों से अधिक हैं, जिसमें अनुमान लगाया गया था कि 5.4 प्रतिशत ने पिछले 12 महीनों में आत्महत्या के बारे में सोचा था और 0.7 प्रतिशत ने पिछले 12 महीनों में आत्महत्या का प्रयास किया था। आत्महत्या करने या प्रयास करने के बारे में विचार करने वाले सभी प्रतिभागियों में से 11.4 प्रतिशत में से 4.9 प्रतिशत ने बताया कि यह उनके जुए से थोड़ा या बहुत अधिक संबंधित था। 1.1 प्रतिशत ने बताया कि यह उनके जुए से बहुत अधिक संबंधित था।"
Among adults who gambled in the past year, severe consequences included relationship breakdowns (1.6 percent), reducing spending on everyday items (6.6 percent reported this at least occasionally), lying to family (6.4 percent), and feeling isolated (5.5 percent).
Proportion who gambled in the past 12 months experiencing potential adverse consequences due to own gambling - Gambling Commission.
The data confirmed the relevance of the PGSI (Problem Gambling Severity Index) as it demonstrated the link between high PGSI scores and the severity of gambling-related consequences. Among those with a PGSI score of 8 or more, 41.3 percent reported experiencing at least one severe consequence. This contrasts sharply with 0.6 percent of those with a PGSI score of 0, who reported severe consequences.
Most risky gambling activities
The PGSI scores reveal the relative risk of severe gambling problems associated with different gambling activities.
Betting on non-sports events in person showed that participants were over nine times more likely to have a PGSI score of 8 or more compared to the average gambler.
Similarly, playing online slots made players more than six times more likely to have a PGSI score of 8 or more.
Impact on gamblers’ relatives
For the first time, the survey explored the consequences of gambling on individuals close to the gambler. Nearly half (47.9 percent) of adults reported knowing someone who gambled. Severe consequences observed included relationship breakdowns (3.5 percent), as well as embarrassment, guilt, shame, conflicts or arguments, and health issues such as stress and anxiety.
Feelings towards gambling
Among adults who gambled in the past 12 months, 41 percent expressed a positive attitude towards their last gambling experience, while 21 percent had a negative perception of their last gambling activity.
When lottery participation was excluded, the pattern remained similar, but with a slightly higher positivity rate of 50 percent.
Motivations for gambling
Motivations for gambling among adults reveal some clear trends. The chance of winning big money was cited by 86 percent, while 70 percent gamble for “fun”.
Among younger adults (aged 18 to 24), the fun of gambling was a more prevalent reason (83 percent) than the chance of winning big money (79 percent).
A controversial survey
Before the new data was released, industry stakeholders expressed concerns about it. They questioned the methods, stating that an online survey would be over-representing gamblers, as the participation rate was only 50 to 60 percent. Industry executives also feared backlash from out-of-context data.
Gambling Commission executive director Tim Miller defended the survey, arguing that relevant agencies and recognised experts had worked on the data in an “open and transparent” process. Miller also declared that the survey findings should not lead to a change in regulations: “I don’t think it would be appropriate to change government policy based on one set of data. The absolute number is not the key thing; it’s how that number develops over time.”
The commission has published guidelines to ensure that the data provided is not reported wrongly. For instance, the Commission explained, while the findings can describe the range of consequences someone may experience as a result of their own gambling and someone else’s gambling, or look at patterns within the data among different demographic groups, it cannot be used as a measure of addiction to gambling, nor to calculate an overall rate of gambling-related harm in Great Britain.
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