Putting together the puzzle of gambling addiction

For the field of illegal drugs, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) has defined a set of harmonised epidemiological key indicators (KIs). Combining these KIs using cross-indicator analysis, it is possible to obtain a more comprehensive picture of the drug situation and trends – like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. However, to describe patterns and trends in gambling addiction, a different set of KIs is necessary. This study seeks to develop KIs for gambling addiction in analogy to the KIs in the field of illegal drugs. KIs for gambling addiction were defined based on literature research and information-exchange in the framework of the European network of the EMCDDA (REITOX).

A number of data sources have the potential to serve as KIs for gambling addiction, specifically general population surveys on gambling, data from gambling addiction treatment, data from gambling exclusion registers, as well as data on gambling-related crimes, gambling debts and suicide attempts due to gambling addiction. 14 REITOX-Focal Points already have a national mandate to collect data on gambling addiction and collect data or are in the process of building up a monitoring system.

Feasible KIs exist but at the moment each country is 'inventing the wheel' concerning the monitoring of gambling addiction by itself. To improve international comparability and use of resources, harmonisation of data collection would make sense. Ways for international co-operation in this field should be found. The already existing REITOX-Network has the potential of a good starting point for this issue.