The influence of gaming expenditure on crime rates in South Australia: a local area empirical investigation.
Although there has been much speculation about the possible links between gambling and crime rates, relevant quantitative evidence has been practically non-existent in Australia to date. This paper reports the results of research that utilised a model designed to investigate the potential relationship between electronic gaming machine expenditures and property (income-generating) crime rates reported to police in local areas in South Australia in 2002-2003. The research found that the higher the expenditures on gaming machines in a particular local area per adult, the higher the income-generating crime rate in that area. No such relationship was found between gaming machine expenditure and non-income-generating crime rates. However, further research is required before any policy-relevant conclusions can be drawn.
Wheeler
Sarah Ann
SA
Centre for Regulation and Market Analysis, School of Commerce, University of South Australia, GPO Box 2471, Adelaide, SA, 5001, Australia.
Round
David K
DK
Sarre
Rick
R
O'Neil
Michael
M
D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003415:Crime / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005715:Gambling; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D008297:Male; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013021:South Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D018910:Video Games / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*