Does gambling expenditure have any effect on crime?

Wan, WY; Wang, J; Weatherburn, DJ

Does gambling expenditure have any effect on crime?

Wan, WY Wang, J

Weatherburn, DJ

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Publisher:: Wiley
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Addiction, 2024, 119, (12), pp. 2197-2204
Issue Date:: 2024-12

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Wan, WY
dc.contributor.author	Wang, J https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0088-7003
dc.contributor.author	Weatherburn, DJ
dc.date.accessioned	2025-02-03T00:10:19Z
dc.date.available	2024-07-10
dc.date.available	2025-02-03T00:10:19Z
dc.date.issued	2024-12
dc.identifier.citation	Addiction, 2024, 119, (12), pp. 2197-2204
dc.identifier.issn	0965-2140
dc.identifier.issn	1360-0443
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/184812
dc.description.abstract	BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Australians spend more per capita on gambling than any other country in the world. Electronic gaming machines (EGM) expenditure accounts for almost 90% of this expenditure. No study to date has conducted a rigorous longitudinal analysis of the relationship between gambling expenditure and crime. This study aimed to estimate the short- and long-run relationship between gambling expenditure and crime. DESIGN: Longitudinal analysis using panel autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) modelling. SETTING AND CASES: Recorded property and violent crimes committed in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, between 28 December 2015 and 5 January 2020. MEASUREMENTS: Monthly gross EGM expenditure profit, broken down by Local Government Area (LGA). Monthly recorded rates of assault, break enter and steal (dwelling), break enter and steal (non-dwelling), break enter and steal (total), motor vehicle theft, stealing from a motor vehicle, stealing from a retail store, stealing from the person, stealing (total) and fraud. FINDINGS: Each 10% increase in gambling expenditure in NSW is associated with annual: 7.4% increase in assaults, 10.5% increase in break and enter (dwelling) offences; 10.3% increase in break and enter (non-dwelling) offences; 11% increase in motor vehicle theft offences; 8.2% increase in stealing from motor vehicle offences; and 7.4% increase in fraud offences. CONCLUSION: Electronic gaming expenditure appears to be positively associated with property and violent crime in New South Wales, Australia.
dc.format	Print-Electronic
dc.language	eng
dc.publisher	Wiley
dc.relation.ispartof	Addiction
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1111/add.16648
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject	11 Medical and Health Sciences, 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences
dc.subject.classification	Substance Abuse
dc.subject.classification	4206 Public health
dc.subject.classification	5203 Clinical and health psychology
dc.subject.mesh	Humans
dc.subject.mesh	Gambling
dc.subject.mesh	New South Wales
dc.subject.mesh	Crime
dc.subject.mesh	Longitudinal Studies
dc.subject.mesh	Violence
dc.subject.mesh	Humans
dc.subject.mesh	Longitudinal Studies
dc.subject.mesh	Gambling
dc.subject.mesh	Crime
dc.subject.mesh	Violence
dc.subject.mesh	New South Wales
dc.subject.mesh	Humans
dc.subject.mesh	Gambling
dc.subject.mesh	New South Wales
dc.subject.mesh	Crime
dc.subject.mesh	Longitudinal Studies
dc.subject.mesh	Violence
dc.title	Does gambling expenditure have any effect on crime?
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	119
utslib.location.activity	England
utslib.for	11 Medical and Health Sciences
utslib.for	17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science/School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.rights.license	This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0). To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
dc.date.updated	2025-02-03T00:10:18Z
pubs.issue	12
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	119
utslib.citation.issue	12

Abstract:

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Australians spend more per capita on gambling than any other country in the world. Electronic gaming machines (EGM) expenditure accounts for almost 90% of this expenditure. No study to date has conducted a rigorous longitudinal analysis of the relationship between gambling expenditure and crime. This study aimed to estimate the short- and long-run relationship between gambling expenditure and crime. DESIGN: Longitudinal analysis using panel autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) modelling. SETTING AND CASES: Recorded property and violent crimes committed in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, between 28 December 2015 and 5 January 2020. MEASUREMENTS: Monthly gross EGM expenditure profit, broken down by Local Government Area (LGA). Monthly recorded rates of assault, break enter and steal (dwelling), break enter and steal (non-dwelling), break enter and steal (total), motor vehicle theft, stealing from a motor vehicle, stealing from a retail store, stealing from the person, stealing (total) and fraud. FINDINGS: Each 10% increase in gambling expenditure in NSW is associated with annual: 7.4% increase in assaults, 10.5% increase in break and enter (dwelling) offences; 10.3% increase in break and enter (non-dwelling) offences; 11% increase in motor vehicle theft offences; 8.2% increase in stealing from motor vehicle offences; and 7.4% increase in fraud offences. CONCLUSION: Electronic gaming expenditure appears to be positively associated with property and violent crime in New South Wales, Australia.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/184812