Comparing an Additional High-Risk Gambler Cohort with National Gambling Study High-Risk Gamblers

Summary

The New Zealand National Gambling Study (NGS) is a nationally representative longitudinal cohort survey that started in 2012. Since 2012 the NGS participants have been interviewed four times, although over time participation has suffered natural attrition. This means that the Ministry is unable to report on some issues of interest relating to the most at risk gambling groups. An additional group of 106 adult (18 years and older) moderate-risk and problem gamblers was recruited using a casino, Class 4 venues in Auckland, advertisements on a national employment website, a national auction and a classified website to see whether the new group of moderate-risk and problem gamblers would be similar in behaviour and health to the moderate-risk and problem group in the NGS.

The newly recruited gamblers were broadly similar to the National Gambling Study (NGS) moderate-risk/problem gamblers in the majority of gambling behaviours and health-related aspects. However, there were some differences in the demographic profile of participants based on the recruitment methods. Almost twenty percent of the newly recruited gamblers were recruited from a casino. These participants were more likely to be Asian and male compared with participants recruited via website. The conclusion was that it is feasible to combine the newly recruited gamblers with the NGS moderate-risk/problem gamblers in order to conduct detailed analyses, as the two groups are similar in most aspects.