Gambling in Singapore: an overview of history, research, treatment and policy

The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on gambling: A systematic review

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, people's habits changed radically. In fact, to limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2, governments implemented restrictive measures that influenced the lives of individuals. The aim of this systematic review is to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on gambling by examining three different outcomes: frequency, expenditure, and transition among possible types of gambling.

METHODS

All studies assessing the impact of restrictive measures implemented to limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2 on gambling were included. For the search, two different databases were used: Pubmed and CINAHL. Moreover, two different populations were analyzed: the general population, and subjects who used to gamble before SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. All qualitative studies, reports not based on peer-review, and papers in which the statistical unit was not the subject but the gambling or wagering operators were excluded.

RESULTS

From the search, 408 reports were identified. Of these, 28 were included in the systematic review. From the studies, a strong reduction in the frequency and expenditure of land-based gambling emerged, while the results about online gambling were different among the studies. However, a reduction was observed assessing sports betting, and an increase emerged considering online casino and skill games. Finally, a significant migration from land-based gambling to online platforms was identified. The main reasons for these findings were the physical closures of land-based gambling venues and the more time spent at home, the suspension or cancelation of sporting events on which subjects used to bet, and more mental health issues during this challenging period.

CONCLUSIONS

The COVID-19 pandemic greatly affected subjects' habits, including gambling, by reducing land-based gambling and sports betting, and increasing gambling on online platforms. This shift poses significant challenges, requiring a comprehensive approach to monitor and mitigate the negative consequences of this increase in online gambling caused by the pandemic.

Chinese Beliefs in Luck are Linked to Gambling Problems via Strengthened Cognitive Biases: A Mediation Test

Problematic patterns of gambling and their harms are known to have culturally specific expressions. For ethnic Chinese people, patterns of superstitious belief in this community appear to be linked to the elevated rates of gambling-related harms; however, little is known about the mediating psychological mechanisms. To address this issue, we surveyed 333 Chinese gamblers residing internationally and used a mediation analysis to explore how gambling-related cognitive biases, gambling frequency and variety of gambling forms ('scope') mediate the association between beliefs in luck and gambling problems. We found that cognitive biases and scope were significant mediators of this link but that the former is a stronger mediator than the latter. The mediating erroneous beliefs were not specific to any particular type of cognitive bias. These results suggest that Chinese beliefs in luck are expressed as gambling cognitive biases that increase the likelihood of gambling problems, and that biases that promote gambling (and its harms) are best understood within their socio-cultural context.

Gambling participation and policies in Malaysia

Regulatory policies for responsible gambling practices in Asia are constantly evolving as the gambling industry and technological landscape change over time. Malaysia makes an interesting case study for a commentary on gambling participation and policies, as this country has a unique dual justice system with religious and ethnic diversity that may impact on the way in which gambling activities are regulated. This regulatory ecosystem has important consequences on behaviour change, treatment approaches and recovery processes involved in gambling disorder. This commentary will discuss evidence for Malaysian gambling antecedents, public policy and socioeconomic impacts of gambling, possible costs and benefits of gambling legalization, and issues pertinent to regulating gambling activities in Malaysia.