A national study of neighbourhood access to gambling opportunities and individual gambling behaviour.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate associations between neighbourhood accessibility to gambling outlets (non-casino gaming machine locations, sports betting venues and casinos) and individual gambling behaviour in New Zealand.


METHODS
A Geographical Information Systems (GIS) measure of neighbourhood access to gambling venues. Two-level logistic regression models were fitted to examine the effects of neighbourhood access on individual gambling behaviour after controlling for potential individual- and neighbourhood-level confounding factors.


METHODS
38,350 neighbourhoods across New Zealand.


METHODS
12,529 respondents of the 2002/03 New Zealand Health Survey.


RESULTS
Compared with those living in the quartile of neighbourhoods with the furthest access to a gambling venue, residents living in the quartile of neighbourhoods with the closest access were more likely (adjusted for age, sex, socio-economic status at the individual-level and deprivation, urban/rural status at the neighbourhood-level) to be a gambler (OR 1.60, 95% CI 1.20 to 2.15) or problem gambler (OR 2.70, 95% CI 1.03 to 7.05). When examined independently, neighbourhood access to venues with non-casino gaming machines (gambling: OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.28 to 2.18; problem gambling: OR 2.71, 95% CI 1.45 to 5.07) and sports betting venues (gambling: OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.28 to 2.18; problem gambling: OR 2.71, 95% CI 1.45 to 5.07) were similarly related.


CONCLUSIONS
Neighbourhood access to opportunities for gambling is related to gambling and problem gambling behaviour, and contributes substantially to neighbourhood inequalities in gambling over and above-individual level characteristics.
Pearce
J
J
GeoHealth Laboratory, Department of Geography, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand. jamie.pearce@canterbury.ac.nz
Mason
K
K
Hiscock
R
R
Day
P
P
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005715:Gambling; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult