Substantiating policy recommendations for reducing gambling-related harms with perspectives from individuals with lived experience.

Abstract

Purpose of review: Changes in gambling regulation have been linked to public health concerns, with system- and population-level approaches suggested to prevent and reduce gambling-related harms in societies. This review utilizes recent qualitative studies on individuals with lived experience of gambling-related harms to substantiate and inform refinement of current policy-level recommendations.

Recent findings: Recent policy recommendations are well poised to address issues faced by individuals with lived experience of gambling-related harms, as reflected in several recent qualitative studies. Pertinent topics include increased accessibility to gambling via digitization, limitations of self-exclusion, and difficulty adhering to self-imposed financial limits. A range of barriers, including stigma, aggressive advertising by gambling operators, and gambling opportunities in video games, may undermine the effectiveness of some policies (e.g., self-exclusion, deposit limits, and age restrictions, respectively).

Summary: The perspectives of individuals with lived experience of gambling-related harms can be invaluable in complementing, strengthening, and contextualizing quantitative results to substantiate policy recommendations and provide insight into potential limitations of the recommendations to refine population-level strategies. Individuals with lived experience should be involved in future research involving monitoring of the gambling industry and assessing the impact of regulatory measures to strengthen the process of evaluating and adapting policies.