GAMBLING AND CRIME
Addictive behaviour and its link
with criminal activity has long been an area of research interest (e.g.,
alcohol, and to a lesser extent narcotic drug use). More recently, the same
arguments have been used in relation to links between crime and problem
gambling addiction. For instance, studies from various regions worldwide
suggest an association between criminal activity and easily accessible
gambling, yet, despite growth in the commercial gambling industry, relatively
little is known about the nature, extent or impact of gambling-related crime.
Problem gamblers tend to be individuals who are chronically and progressively
unable to resist impulses to gamble and that their gambling compromises,
disrupts or damages family, personal, and vocational pursuits. The behaviour
increases under times of stress and associated features include lying to obtain
money, committing crimes (e.g. forgery, embezzlement, fraud etc.), and
concealment from others of the extent of the individual's gambling activities (Griffiths,
2006). Criminal behaviour is most commonly associated with problem gamblers
because problem gamblers spend more than their disposable income and often have
to resort to criminal activity as a way of getting money to carry on gambling
and repay associated debt problems. Law enforcement officials claim that
gambling expansion inevitably leads to “an increase in enterprise crime and
money laundering activity particularly relating to casinos...and an increase in
illegal activities such as loan sharking, extortion and frauds” (Proke, 1994; p
61). Public opinion polls also tend to reflect a general perception that a
correlation exists between widely available gambling and crime. For instance, a
Canadian study by Azmier (2000) found that 64% of participants agreed that
gambling expansion leads to an increase in crime.
Male gamblers are more likely to become
violent, and as problem gaming worsens, the intensity of the violence becomes
more severe. That’s according to a new study conducted by the University
of Lincoln in England and published by the Addiction journal.
Researchers evaluated 3,025 men ranging from
18 to 64 years of age from various socio-economic backgrounds to determine if
they had ever engaged in violent behavior. Violent behavior was defined as a
physical altercation, assault, deliberately attacking someone, using a weapon,
and other malicious acts.
The study also inquired on whether the
violence was performed under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and asked
respondents about their personal gambling habits.
Eighty percent, or 2,420 of the respondents,
said they had gambled at some point in their lifetime. Shockingly, 50 percent
of pathological gamblers reported being in a physical altercation in the
last five years. And 45 percent of problem gamblers and 28 percent
of those who identified themselves as casual gamblers admitted to being
involved in some sort of fight over the same time period. Comparatively, only 19
percent of non-gambling males reported being involved in a violent situation.
According to a
reserch of gambler’s anonymous (GA) members, 46% of respondents indicated that
they had committed an illegal act. These crimes were frequently armed robbery,
theft or fraud (such as writing bad checks), and other studies have shown
that domestic violenc-,, abuse-, and neglect-related crime rates are also
higher amongst problem gamblers.In fact, problem and pathological gamblers are
between 3 and 3.5 times more likely to be arrested and/or spend time in jail!
Gambling
addiction is astronomically higher amongst inmates as well. One study estimated
that problem gambling is 300% to 500% more prevalent amongst prisoners than in
the general population. More recently, some deputies of the Los Angeles
Sheriff’s Department – which operates the largest prison system in the country
– gave unofficial estimates that 40% to 60% of inmates in low- and
medium-security jails presented with signs of problem gambling – as much as 16
times the rate of the general population! Gambling addicts are also 2 to 7
times more likely to take illegal drugs, binge drink and smoke. Many experts
have also observed that they drive high, drunk, distracted or sleep deprived
far more frequently than the general population.
Gambling-related crime tends to
relate to four distinct types (Smith, Wynne & Hartnagel, 2003). These are:
• Illegal gambling – Gambling
activity that is counter to jurisdictional regulations statutes, such as
operating without a gambling license, cheating at play, etc.;
• Criminogenic problem gambling –
Activities such as forgery, embezzlement, and fraud, typically committed by
problem gamblers to support a gambling addiction;
• Gambling venue crime – Crimes
that occur in and around gambling locations, such as loan sharking, money
laundering, passing counterfeit currency, theft, assault, prostitution and
vandalism;
• Family abuse –
Victimization of family members caused by another family member’s gambling
involvement, (e.g., domestic violence, child neglect, suicide, and home
invasion).
Why do some problem gamblers turn to
crime?
Generally, because they experience
the following sequence of events: asset losses; accumulating debts; exhausting
legal means of obtaining funds including drawing on savings and retirement
funds; borrowing from family and friends; cash advances on credit cards; and
loans from financial institutions or “loan sharks” - until committing a crime
becomes their only option. Although the evidence is anecdotal, loan sharking is
widespread in casinos. Problem gamblers who use loan sharks generally
exacerbate their troubles because debts are magnified, as is the stress from
worrying about not being able to repay the loan.
The American National Gambling
Impact Study examined the possible causal relationship between problem gambling
and criminal behaviour and indicates that among those who have not gambled in
the past year, only 7% have ever been in prison. In contrast, three times as
many individuals who have been problem gamblers at any point during their
lifetime (21%) have been incarcerated.
SOURCE: http://www.calpg.org/impacts-on-crime-and-suicide/
SOURCE: http://www.internetjournalofcriminology.com/Griffiths_Betting_Shops_and_Crime.pdf
