A new research project on the effects of gambling contradicts results of
previous studies on the same subject.
While some of the world's most prestigious organizations, such as Harvard
Medical School, have found without a doubt that there is no evidence to show
that gambling online increases problem gambling, results of a new study
show the opposite.
The UK Gambling Commission backed a study to examine problem gambling among
online casino patrons and found that problem gambling is ten times more
prominent in online gamblers than those who enjoyed their gambling at offline
venues.
"This study's findings suggest that the medium of the internet may be more
likely to contribute to problem gambling than gambling in offline environments,"
wrote the authors of the report, Dr. Mark Griffiths and Prof. Jim Orford.
Those who have found that problem gambling does not stem from online wagering
include Professor Dan Rose from the National Responsible Gambling Program of
South Africa. Prof. Rose actually found that online gambling actually showed
less problem than land gambling.
These findings were also echoed in intensive studies spanning two years,
undertaken by Dr. Howard Shaffer of Harvard Medical School, who also said that
internet gambling had a lower rate of problematic behaviour than land based
gambling venues.
So who should one believe?
Perhaps it should be noted Dr. Griffiths and Prof. Orford may not have been
impartial when conducting this survey. Several years ago, Prof Orford tried to
establish StopGam, a group that sought to halt the liberalization and
legalization of online gambling laws in the United Kingdom.
Dr. Griffiths is well known for his rejection of the addictive personality
theory which contends that a mental disorder causes addictive habits.
