Gambling Addiction Statistics

Gambling disorder is a serious and often hidden problem that affects millions of people worldwide. Yet, it tends to receive less attention compared to other forms of addiction. 

This post will shed light on this pressing issue by presenting key statistics and figures related to gambling addiction. 

Here are the numbers.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• People with alcohol use disorder are 23 times more likely to develop a gambling addiction.

• More than 80% of adults in the United States engage in gambling activities annually.

• Between three and five individuals per hundred struggle with issues related to gambling.

• Up to 750,000 adolescents and young adults, aged 14 to 21, are estimated to struggle with a gambling addiction.

• Only 5.4% of individuals with problem gambling admit to seeking help from gambling addiction treatment or self-help groups.

• Approximately 90% of problem gamblers experience a relapse.

• One-third of gambling addiction patients achieve recovery without treatment.

Global Gambling Trends

Global gambling statistics include:

• Problem gambling prevalence rates across the continents were 0.1%–5.8%.

• The variation in problem gambling prevalence rates across continents is as follows:

1. North America: 2% to 5%
2. Asia: 0.5% to 5.8%
3. Oceania: 0.4% to 0.7%
4. Europe: 0.1% to 3.4%

• The following table contains problem gambling prevalence rates across European countries according to Calado, Filipa’s 2016 study ‘Problem gambling worldwide: An update and systematic review of empirical research’.

Country	Problematic gambling rate	Pathological or probable pathological gambling rate
Austria	0.40%	0.70%
Belgium	1.60%	0.40%
Cyprus	–	2.20%
Czech Republic	2.30%	1.80%
Denmark	0.3% – 0.9%	0.14% – 0.3%
Estonia	2.6% – 3.1%	2.4% – 3.4%
Finland	1.1% – 4%	1.1% – 4%
France	0.5% – 3.7%	–
Germany	0.2% – 0.64%	0.19% – 0.56%
Great Britain	0.4% – 0.9%	0.2% – 0.8%
Hungary	1.90%	1.4% – 1.9%
Iceland	0.5% – 0.6%	0.6% – 0.7%
Italy	0.2% – 2.2%	–
Northern Ireland	2.20%	–
The Netherlands	0.6% – 1.5%	0.15% – 1%
Norway	0.4% – 1.7%	0.15% – 0.8%
Portugal	0.20%	–
Slovenia	1.45%	0.46% – 1.45%
Spain	0.18% – 0.92%	0.31% – 0.92%
Sweden	0.3% – 1.2%	0.3% – 2%
Switzerland	0.1% – 1.8%	0.3% – 2.2%

• Approximately 26% of the global population has gambled at a point or two in their life.

• In 2022, the global online gambling market was worth $90 billion. Experts predict it will grow by more than 10% each year from 2023 to 2032, reaching $370 billion.

Gambling Addiction Statistics in the U.S.

Here are some important numbers related to gambling addiction in the U.S.:

• Following the Supreme Court’s decision in 2018 to allow sports betting, a National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) 2023 statement estimates that the risk of gambling addiction surged by 30% in just three years.

• Some form of legalized gambling is available in 48 states and the District of Columbia. Only two states—Hawaii and Utah—do not permit any form of gambling.

• Around 85% of U.S. adults have engaged in gambling at least once in their lives. 

• Nearly 1% percent of the American population is estimated to have severe gambling problems annually. Another 2% – 3% of the population has mild or moderate gambling issues. 

Gambling Addiction Statistics by Demographic

Gambling does not affect everyone equally. Here are a few statistics:

• Young people are two to three times more likely to be at risk for problem gambling compared to adults, according to a 2015 fact sheet by the University of Maryland School of Medicine. The most prevalent gambling activities among the youth are:

• According to a study conducted in 2000, approximately 10% of Black, Native American, and Hispanic youth gambled daily, compared to only 4% of White and 5% of Asian youth.

• Another study in 2009 found gambling addiction rates among different ethnic groups to be as follows:

• According to Elmond, Alan, et al’s 2021 study, British men tend to gamble more than British women.

Legal and Economic Impact of Gambling Addiction

Problem gambling has a significant economic and legal toll. It costs $14 billion annually in social costs at the national level. These expenses encompass various areas such as criminal justice, healthcare expenditures, job loss, and bankruptcy. Here are some numbers:

• Approximately half of those suffering from gambling addiction commit a crime.

• About 33% of arrestees who were identified as pathological gamblers confessed to committing robbery within the previous year.

• Around 13% of these arrestees had assaulted someone for money.

• In the U.S., it’s estimated that dealing with individuals with gambling issues costs the justice system $2,200 to $3,000 per person. Individuals with severe gambling problems may have a total cost of lifetime arrests of $10,000 or more.

• Around 90% of people with gambling addiction withdraw cash in advance from their credit cards to fuel their habit. 

• Around 23 million Americans find themselves in debt as a result of gambling, with an average loss of approximately $55,000 leading to financial hardship.

• According to a study conducted in 2021, the top 1% of surveyed gamblers allocated 58% of their income to gambling, with one in ten spending as much as 8% on the habit.

• As per Hofmarcher, T., et al’s  2018 study, the societal cost of problem gambling in Sweden was about 1.42 billion euros. Here’s a breakdown of costs:

1. Indirect costs: These amounted to a total of 832 million euros and included reduced workplace productivity, absence from work, unemployment, and premature death.
   
2. Direct costs: These amounted to a total of 184 million euros and included treatment and care costs, debt counseling and management costs, criminal/legal costs, prevention and regulation costs, divorce, and recruitment.
   
3. Intangible costs: These amounted to a total of 403 million euros and covered physical violence, emotional distress, and harm to crime victims.

Mental and Social Effects of Gambling Addiction

Gambling addiction has a range of mental effects. Here are some numbers:

• According to the TGM Gambling and Sports Betting Survey in Germany 2022, 35% of people bet on sports in the last year, and they cited the following reasons for doing so:

• 6% of college students in the U.S. struggle with severe gambling issues, which could lead to psychological challenges, overwhelming debt, and academic struggles.

• Between 12.5 and 29 percent of problem gamblers experience symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

• In 2008, a study revealed that individuals with psychiatric disorders face a 17 times greater risk of developing gambling issues.

• Nearly 75% of people with gambling problems also suffer from depression and around 38% have alcohol problems.

FAQs

What Percent of People of Gambling Addiction?

Problem gambling rates in the past year varied greatly among different countries worldwide (ranging from 0.12% to 5.8%). In the U.S., nearly 1% of the total population battles gambling addiction.

Which Country Has the Highest Rate of Gambling Addiction?

As per a 2017 report, Australia topped the list of countries with the highest gambling losses globally—with each adult experiencing losses amounting to 958 US dollars. Countries in the Asia Pacific region also appeared on this list, including Hong Kong, Singapore, and New Zealand among the top five.

What Is the Most Popular Form of Gambling in the USA?

As of November 2018, the lottery was the most popular form of gambling in the United States. In contrast, the least common types of gambling among survey respondents in the U.S. were roulette, craps, or other dice games.

Data Sources

1. https://www.gambleaware.org/sites/default/files/2022-03/Annual%20GB%20Treatment%20and%20Support%20Survey%20Report%202021%20%28FINAL%29.pdf
2. https://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2001/12/5488.html 
3. https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/non-dhs/dcts/relapse-substance-use-gambling-september-22-2022.pdf 
4. https://www.debt.org/advice/gambling/
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5370365/
6. https://www.americangaming.org/new/q3-2022-sets-second-consecutive-record-for-quarterly-commercial-gaming-revenue/
7. https://www.ncpgambling.org/news/ncpg-statement-on-the-betting-on-our-future-act/
8. https://www.ncpgambling.org/help-treatment/faqs-what-is-problem-gambling/ 
9. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8126430/
10. https://ipgap.indiana.edu/documents/posttraumatic-stress-disorder-symptoms.pdf
11. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5572998/
12. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2293303/
13. https://www.greo.ca/Modules/EvidenceCentre/files/Kryszajtys%20and%20Matheson%20(2017)%20Problem%20gambling%20and%20crime%20and%20its%20costs.pdf
14. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-020-01045-w
15. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3004711/#:~:text=Pathological%20gambling%20can%20directly%20trigger,30%20percent%20for%20bipolar%20disorder.
16. https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-020-10008-9
17. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14634311/
18. https://www.statista.com/statistics/552821/gambling-losses-per-adult-by-country-worldwide/
19. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309465262_Problem_gambling_worldwide_An_update_and_systematic_review_of_empirical_research_2000-2015
20. https://www.yalemedicine.org/conditions/gambling-disorder 
21. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1108796/popular-gambling-types-usa/ 
22. https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/online-gambling-market 
23. https://tgmresearch.com/gambling-sports-betting-market-research-in-germany.html#cb99e6571f