title: The influence of gaming expenditure on crime rates in South Australia: a local area empirical investigation.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Regulation and Market Analysis, School of Commerce, University of South Australia, GPO Box 2471, Adelaide, SA, 5001, Australia.
authors.forename: Sarah Ann
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Wheeler
authors.forename: David K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Round
authors.forename: Rick
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sarre
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: O'Neil
mesh_terms: 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*