Research shows that lower rank, male gender and younger age are strongly linked to ‘harmful gambling’ among British soldiers

Several indicative factors, including lower rank, male gender and younger age, are strongly associated with ‘harmful gambling’ among British military personnel, according to an analysis of survey responses, published online in the journal BMJ Military Health.

Harmful gambling refers to the toll it takes on finances, health, personal relationships and work, with nearly one in four respondents reporting one of these effects in the past year.

The findings prompt researchers to prioritize better, earlier and targeted support to prevent the harmful effects of gambling among the military.

A growing body of international evidence suggests that armed forces personnel may be at greater risk of harm from gambling than the general population, the researchers said.

Gambling is typically classified as strategic, which requires prior knowledge or skills to influence or predict outcomes (e.g., sports betting and card games, such as poker), or non-strategic, which involves luck (e.g., slot machines and casino games, such as roulette).

Strategic gamblers may be at greater risk of gambling harm than their non-strategic peers, the researchers explain.

To find out whether there are certain identifying factors that could help identify a soldier at risk of gambling addiction, the researchers surveyed active-duty armed forces personnel from all branches and services, except the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (a civilian unit of the Royal Navy), in the spring of 2023.

After excluding those who did not complete the survey, the final analysis is based on responses from 608 active-duty military personnel.

Information requested included branch of service; the status of full-time permanent soldier or part-time reservist; the year of employment; the current rank; and the broadcast in the past three years, including where and for how long.

Validated measures were used to assess depression, anxiety, PTSD, alcohol use, and suicidal ideation in the past year. Respondents were then asked to describe their gambling activities, if any, and the consequences.

Risk of harmful gambling (low to problem) was measured using a validated scale widely used worldwide for military personnel (PGSI), while the Combined Gambling Harms (CGH) measure was used to assess the type and number of harms to evaluate.

The average age of respondents was 39, and most were male (85.5%) and of White British (87%) ethnicity. Most had an A-level education or higher (80%); 30% had a postgraduate qualification. Most were in a relationship (84%) and just over half were living with dependent children (54%).

Current mental health problems were uncommon: depression (54; 9%), anxiety (61; 10%) or PTSD (28; 4.5%). Suicidal thoughts or attempts in the past year were reported by 105 (just over 17%).

Nearly half of respondents were classified as heavy drinkers who at some point exceeded the recommended amounts of alcohol daily, weekly or monthly (279; 46%).

Overall, almost three in four (72%; 438) said they had gambled in the past year, and 272 (45%) reported they had done so in the past week. About 74 (12%) said they had never gambled.

The most popular activities were the National Lottery (349; 57.5%), service-related lotteries (314; 52%) and online sports betting (218; 36%). Most gamblers preferred non-strategic gambling (302; 69%) over strategic gambling (55; 13%). The remainder (81;18.5%) indicated no preference.

The PGSI score showed that 64 (12%) were at low risk of harmful gambling, 22 (just over 3.5%) were at moderate risk and 37 (6%) were at risk of problem gambling.

Overall, almost one in four (23%; 123) respondents who had gambled in the past year had experienced harm from gambling, with the average number of harms totaling two.

More than a third 36% (44) of them had suffered at least one financial loss; more than a quarter said the quality of their relationships had been affected (32; 26%), and one in five (25) said gambling had had a detrimental effect on their ability to work.

Certain demographic factors were predictive of harmful gambling. These include male gender (tripled risk), age 20-29 years (more than double the risk) and living alone in serviced housing (69% increased risk).

Significant military risk factors included junior noncommissioned officer/other rank (more than four times increased risk), military service of less than 10 years (more than twice increased risk), and being deployed two or more times in the past three years (86% increased risk).

Mental health problems that may indicate harmful gambling include depression and/or anxiety (more than three times the risk), risky drinking (69% increased risk), loneliness and suicidal thoughts/attempts in the past year (two times the risk). risk).

Strategic gamblers were five times more likely to suffer gambling harm than non-strategic gamblers.

This is an observational study and as such no definitive conclusions can be drawn about cause and effect. And the researchers acknowledge several limitations to their findings, including that respondents were older than the average age (31) of armed forces personnel.

However, they nevertheless conclude: “These findings highlight the importance of screening for gambling behaviour, gambling type, mental health and alcohol use in both current service personnel and new recruits to the [Armed Forces].”