People who bet even relatively small sums are more likely to suffer financial hardship and unemployment, while heavier gamblers die earlier, according to a landmark study analysing data from millions of bank customers.
In a report thought to be the largest of its kind carried out in the UK, academics tracked the links between gambling spend and problems experienced by 6.5 million Lloyds Banking Group customers over seven years.
They found that the likelihood of missing a mortgage payment, taking a payday loan or being pursued by debt collectors escalated rapidly the more someone gambled, while there were longer-term links to job loss and mortality.
The study, led by academics at Oxford and Warwick universities, will intensify concern about …
Read the full article at: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/feb/04/even-low-levels-of-gambling-linked-to-financial-hardship-study-finds