There are many interesting questions regarding the effect of recreational gambling on the health of a population. This research explores the relationship between gambling and health in the context of regional variation in gambling access. While the study of recreational gambling on health does not examine the impact of gambling on chronic conditions, it does examine the effect on life satisfaction. In addition, the positive health effects of gambling have important public policy implications. The article summarizes some of these issues.

The sample of the GIBS-RDD included only those individuals with complete socio-demographic data in the past year. Of these, 1,390 gamblers reported past-year recreational gambling. Approximately five percent of the gamblers had missing socio-demographic data, which did not differ significantly from the sample of recreational gamblers. This finding indicates that the effect of recreational gambling on the health of a population cannot be determined in isolation.

There are several weaknesses associated with this study. It lacks the data to assess the causal relationship between gambling and psychiatric disorders. Respondents did not undergo diagnostic interviews, which can be a source of bias. Despite these limitations, the study has strengths. In addition, the study was conducted using an RDD methodology and a large nationally representative sample. In addition, it found that gambling motivations differed between substance abusers and non-abusers. Although these differences are not statistically significant, they may still be relevant to substance abusers. Additional longitudinal studies are needed to examine the relationship between gambling and substance abuse.

In general, casinos have an indirect effect on the local economy. In other words, the positive impact of casinos on the local economy may ‘leak’ to other communities. For example, casino workers spend their paychecks in the local economy. This is called a “secondary effect.”

Children of compulsive gamblers are at increased risk of developing pathological symptoms. Children of these individuals are more likely to develop addictions to drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes, and have a worse childhood than their peers. Additionally, they are more likely to commit crimes such as stealing. In addition, they are also more likely to engage in crime because of social pressure. So, the impact on society of gambling is often more indirect than one might believe.

It is hard to determine whether recreational gambling has beneficial or negative effects. It is difficult to determine whether the costs of gambling outweigh the benefits, since many social effects are hard to quantify. The emotional pain of a pathological gambler’s family members, and the productivity loss of a problem gambler’s employer are difficult to assess. However, the economic benefits of gambling are significant. The economic costs of pathological gambling may even outweigh the benefits.