The closer you live to gambling shops, the greater the problem – according to new research

The closer you live to gambling shops, the greater the problem – according to new research

People living close to gambling shops are significantly more likely to develop gambling problems and experience poor mental health and financial hardship, according to new research from Kingston University Business School.

The research, which is part of a 12-month project funded by the Academic Forum for the Study of Gambling, analyses new data from across England, and shows that individuals living within two kilometres of a gambling outlet are more likely to gamble in physical venues and to be classified as problem gamblers.

Crucially, the risk rises sharply in neighbourhoods with high densities of gambling shops, indicating that cumulative exposure - not just proximity - plays a key role in driving harm.

The findings also show that higher exposure to gambling shops is linked to greater monetary risk-taking and worse mental health outcomes. This adds to the growing evidence that the harms of gambling go beyond financial loss, and highlights the need to address it as a public health issue.

“Although gambling is a growing public health concern, its economic geography and associated harms are underexplored” says Professor Francisco Nobre. “However, our research highlights that the spatial distribution of gambling venues matters, and it calls for targeted interventions to mitigate harms, that provide more powers to local authorities to determine the acceptable levels of outlet clustering.”

This research also contributes fresh evidence to debates over gambling regulation and urban planning. Current licensing frameworks largely assess gambling applications on a case-by-case basis, often overlooking the cumulative impact of multiple venues operating in close proximity.

The study suggests that local authorities should explicitly take gambling outlet density into account when making planning and licensing decisions, emphasising that the proximity and concentration of gambling shops are not merely commercial issues, but matters with significant social and public health implications.

This research is published in “Nightmare neighbours: Proximity to gambling shops and gambling harms” by Francisco Nobre (Kingston University), Tasos Kitsos (Aston University), Emmanouil Tranos (University of Bristol), and Chiara Paola Donegani (Aston University).

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For more information, or to see a full copy of the research paper, please contact Olivia Nieberg – olivia@bluesky-pr.com