背景:赌博及其对人类健康和福祉的有害影响是许多国家的重大公共卫生问题,电子赌博机(EGM)被认为是最有害的赌博形式之一。以前的研究已经建立了EGM可访问性之间的关联,支出,赌博的伤害,以及社区的社会经济地位(SES)。然而,对SES和EGM可访问性对个人玩家支出的直接影响的理解有限。先前对支出的估计通常依赖于自我报告的数据或场地一级的收入统计数据。本研究使用高空间分辨率的社会经济数据以及基于个人账户的位置和支出(销售点)数据(71,669名参与者,745EGM场馆),以探索EGM可及性与邻里SES之间的关联,并检查邻里居民的EGM支出是否与EGM可及性和邻里SES相关。
方法:玩家帐户数据包括位于赫尔辛基地区的每个EGM场地的整个EGM赌博人群的家庭位置和支出信息,芬兰。使用有关社会经济变量的高分辨率(250×250m)网格级数据来获取参与者的当地社会经济条件。使用从玩家帐户数据得出的校准重力模型来估计每个网格单元的EGM可访问性。统计分析包括相关性分析,空间自相关分析,和回归模型。
结果:首先,在当地SES较低的地区,EGM可及性水平明显较高。第二,回归分析显示,较高的EGM可及性和较低的本地SES与每个成年人每年较高的损失相关。这些结果,结合视觉和空间自相关分析,透露EGM赌博的可及性高度集中,特别是在社会经济较低的社区,EGM支出水平较高。
结论:结果为未来关于赌博危害的空间研究奠定了基础,支出,可访问性,和SES利用关于球员和场馆之间互动的详细账户数据。结果强调了在调节EGM可达性时空间限制的重要性,特别是在人口脆弱的地区,作为公共卫生和危害预防的关键措施。结果还可以在地方一级采取有针对性的赌博伤害预防行动。
BACKGROUND: Gambling and its harmful effects on human health and well-being represent a significant public health concern in many countries, with electronic gambling machines (EGMs) recognized as one of the most detrimental forms of gambling. Previous research has established an association between EGM accessibility,
expenditure, gambling harm, and the socioeconomic status (SES) of neighborhoods. However, there is limited understanding of the direct impact of SES and EGM accessibility on individual player expenditures. Prior estimations of
expenditure often rely on self-reported data or venue-level revenue statistics. This study uses high spatial resolution socioeconomic data together with individual-level account-based location and
expenditure (point of sales) data (71,669 players, 745 EGM venues) to explore the association between EGM accessibility and neighborhood SES and to examine whether the EGM
expenditure of neighborhood residents is associated with EGM accessibility and neighborhood SES.
METHODS: Player account data include information on the home location and
expenditure of the entire EGM gambling population across every EGM venue located in the Helsinki region, Finland. High-resolution (250 × 250 m) grid-level data on socioeconomic variables were used to obtain the local socioeconomic conditions of the players. EGM accessibility was estimated for every grid cell using a calibrated gravity model derived from the player account data. Statistical analyses included correlation analysis, spatial autocorrelation analysis, and regression models.
RESULTS: First, significantly higher levels of EGM accessibility were found in areas with lower local SES. Second, regression analysis revealed that both higher EGM accessibility and lower local SES were associated with higher annual losses per adult. These results, in combination with visual and spatial autocorrelation analyses, revealed that accessibility to EGM gambling is highly concentrated, especially in lower socioeconomic neighborhoods with higher levels of EGM expenditure.
CONCLUSIONS: The results lay the groundwork for future spatial research on gambling harm, expenditure, accessibility, and SES utilizing detailed account data on the interaction between players and venues. The results underscore the importance of spatial restrictions when regulating EGM accessibility, particularly in areas with vulnerable populations, as a crucial measure for public health and harm prevention. The results also enable targeted gambling harm prevention actions at the local level.