Problem gambling and gambling harms: a public health priority

Gambling has long been embedded within social and cultural life; however, its rapid digital transformation over recent decades has significantly increased both its accessibility and its potential for harm. The expansion of online platforms, intensified marketing practices and the integration of gambling into digital and sporting environments have reshaped how, where and when gambling occurs. In Scotland and across the United Kingdom, gambling is therefore increasingly recognised as a matter of public health concern, requiring coordinated, population-level responses alongside individual treatment and support.

Problem gambling refers to persistent or recurrent gambling behaviour that results in significant distress or impairment, including financial hardship, relationship breakdown and deteriorating mental wellbeing. Gambling disorder is formally recognised as a behavioural addiction, reflecting shared characteristics with substance-related disorders, including impaired control and continuation despite adverse consequences.

The broader concept of gambling harms extends beyond diagnostic thresholds to encompass the adverse impacts experienced by families, workplaces and communities. These harms are socially patterned and influenced by structural, commercial and cultural determinants, including socioeconomic disadvantage, digital exposure and trauma. A proportionate public health response must therefore address both individual need and the wider environments that shape vulnerability.