Business Research: Socio-Economic Impacts of Gambling in Australia

This report explores the socio-economic impacts of gambling in Australia, examining its effects on individuals and society. The study investigates factors influencing gambling behavior, including age, education, employment, and gender, while also considering the role of substance use, peer pressure, and debt. The report reviews literature on gambling addiction and its consequences, such as financial instability and mental health issues. It also proposes the introduction of educational programs to promote alternative investment strategies. The research highlights the importance of understanding the complex interplay of these factors to develop effective interventions and mitigate the negative consequences of gambling. The report also suggests that the government should put up schools to teach people investment strategies, and ways to avoid gambling easily.

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BUSINESS RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
BUSINESS RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
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The socio-economic impacts of gambling in Australia
Introduction
Gambling is the placing of money or something of high value in an occurrence with an
intention to winning great; it involves risking the valuable items in a bet to win big. It is always a
50/50 contest for it goes hand in hand with luck, its either you lose or win. It has addicted the
world people for a very long time since the evolution of valuable items that were used as
mediums for exchange. Being loved by many for it brings quick money it also has side effects on
the social and economic livelihood of people. In this research, I will discuss the socio-economic
impacts of gambling in Australia.
Project objective
The purpose of this study is to find out whether there should be an introduction to
education program to gamblers in Australia on other positive-outcome ways they should invest
their money and other valuable items used in the game other than indulging in this gambling
activity that has no guarantee to making a profit on money put at stake.
Project scope
The project involves putting up schools in Australia that will teach in investment ways
and ways to avoid gambling easily. The project should take a period of 2-3 years to be complete
and it should be put up in major areas where gambling has taken over. It should include all the
necessary information that people will need in order to quit gambling and involve in the
investment ways.

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Literature Review
In the last two decades, the world has seen gambling overtake events in lives of people;
they are easily lured in the type of sport due to the way sometimes it makes them earn big profits.
It happens that when you got good luck you earn a lot of money and that brings about addiction
in the game, thus, making it hard to quit (Layton & Worthington, 2015, p. 238). Many people
love quick money, money not hardly earned and money easily deposited in their accounts, people
love shortcuts to wealth and they can do whatever it takes to earn that plus they believe that
earning quick money and getting rich quickly will earn them great respect which is fairly true.
On the other hand, some few people have benefitted from this gambling activity but the majority
of their wealth does not last long and mostly the money they earn is badly misused (Layton &
Worthington, 2015, p. 242). The following are factors influencing gambling the region.
Various factors have been found to cause people engage in gambling
Age
Young people aged 18-35 years tend to engage in gambling more than older people aged
between 50-75 years. The reason behind this finding is that majority of the young people are
prone to getting quick money and believe that they can get rich very quickly and through other
shortened ways other than working hard for that (Delfabbro & Thrupp, 2014, p. 150). Being that
young people often create a lot of free time that make them engage in this sport and also being
that majority are able to multitask hence they can still work and gamble at the same time. As
opposed to the elderly people who rarely find time to bet, they are mostly less energetic and very
emotional hence a reduced number of them take part in gambling (Layton & Worthington, 2015,

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p. 154). In the event of loss elderly people always lose interest in the game very quickly than the
younger ones who are always hoping that one day they will hit the jackpot and get rich.
Education
This comes in as a way in which people get learned and reduce illiteracy. In gambling, a
research has shown that the illiterate people tend to take part in gambling to earn free, easy
money, since no institution can employ them or want their services hence, being desperate make
them fall into the game (Marshall, 2013, p. 135). On the other hand, the learned people always
spend so much time on their field of study and their career hence, they find less or no time to
engage in gambling. Again, literate people have got access to educational materials on the side3
effects of gambling plus the benefits (Dickerson, M.G. , 2013, p. 104). They are wise to weigh
the best path to take in gambling other than taking part in an activity they have no full or no
information about.
Employment
The act of being involved in something essential to do daily and being busy throughout
the year reduces the chances of taking part in gambling. The career people try to invest their
future in many other profitable ways like investments and adding to their education level by
going back to school hence they rarely find gambling time or extra cash to be used in gambling
(McMillen & Doran, 2016, p. 340). The unemployed people are always free and the small
amount they may get try to stake it in a bet to increase the amount in case they win. The
unemployed spend so much time on betting for it is a bonus way to earn extra income. They tend
to find and research on the various ways to do gambling, they realize the best paying and spend a

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lot of their time betting. The unemployed people are also desperate for where to get income
hence gambling.
Gender
Research has shown that the biological way in which someone was born affects gambling
life. Males are majorly the most affected in gambling for many activities put males in the
frontline (Griffiths & Delfabbro, 2014, p. 215). By the belief that males are a superior gender as
compared to females, they try out gambling and then show the females after the outcome, either
positive or negative result. Again, many females in the region are controlled by their parents and
their elder ones and are always shown the home chores that a lady is supposed to be doing other
than bet. Females spend so much time with their families and rarely find time to gamble, the few
that do gambling are the young aged and mostly single (Griffiths & Cesaro, 2013, p. 123).
Females always find something to do just in case they find themselves idle, they help in home
activities and other chores around the home or even go hang out with friends. This causes a
reduced number of gambling for the females. The males put almost every income earning
activity in front of everything they do; they may risk everything just for money.
Substance use
Any use of something that affects your way of being, your way of thinking and your view
of things probably results in gambling (Thomas , Lewis , McLeod , & Haycock, J, 2013, p. 260).
People who abuse any substance to affect their thinking tend to take part in betting in order to
earn extra cash to buy the substances. Sometimes the substance used may make the user believe
that he can’t lose, he will always win, but that’s not the way gambling is, it’s about winning and
losing. It’s not a guarantee that you will always win when you place a bet on anything. People

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who don’t use any substance are free to think and they cannot be easily lured into betting. Their
way of thinking is independent and their decisions remain unchanged. They understand the
positive and the negative side of gambling.
Peer pressure
The influence of people of the same age to do something may result in gambling. This is
witnessed mostly in the youths, the ones that bet try to influence the ones that don’t and mostly
show them the positive side of the game (McMillen & Donnelly, 2014, p. 234). Again in a peer
group where one has benefitted in gambling tends to make the others involved in the activity so
that they may be equal. People of the same group mostly do something out of a single minds
idea, very many people can follow a bad idea provided by the leaders in the peer group hence
misleading the others and denying them, the right to free thinking.
Debts
Many people practice this activity so that they can pay their loans and other debts owed
to outsiders or financial institutions. Majority become desperate upon having many big debts and
the only amount of cash they have is enough to make a stake and risk winning big so that they
can easily pay the debt (Auger , Cantinotti , & O'loughlin, 2015, p. 80). Others borrow money to
do betting hoping that the amount will double or triple so that they can make profit from the
borrowed amount. People who don’t have such loans hardly bet and rarely engage themselves in
gambling activities in any way.

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Loss
Another group of gamblers is those that bet due to a certain big loss or grief in the past.
People may lose money in other ways and due to the annoyance; they tend to risk the remaining
amount in gambling so that it can compensate the other loss. Many end up losing the gamble, for
they were so emotional and anxious to win (Marshall & Baker, 2014, p. 78). Others bet due to
the loss of a loved one just to free up their mind and try to forget. There being different types of
betting, the person may stake a huge amount on a certain bet that lasts for only a few minutes so
that he can get a large amount of money to be used in other ways such as drinking alcohol to
forget the whole thing (Gill , Dal Grande , & Taylor, 2014, p. 40).
Availability
Being free from doing something else brings in the factor of availability in gambling.
This is mostly experienced by the students, the unemployed and the housewives. After lessons,
the students are very free to engage in gambling hence this motivates them so much (Gill , Dal
Grande , & Taylor, 2014, p. 45). The unemployed again have got so much free time to do
betting, they got time to analyze the bets and time to place the bets. People who are engaged in
their work, their families and others their studies do not have so much time on gambling hence
are unavailable for betting.
Obsession with gambling
Those people that are preoccupied with gambling always spend their time betting. They
see nothing else other than gambling (Lucille & Mcmahon, 2016, p. 56). They have made their
mind believe nothing else other than gambling, all they sing, write and act is betting. People with

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independent minds cannot be obsessed with a gambling game; they spend their time trying to
find out ways to succeed in life.
Generational exposure to gambling
In the recent past, gambling has advanced and different types of gambling are evolving.
This is mostly done and displayed in the social media, the television, the radio, newspapers and
even the web (Worthington, 2014, p. 56). The generation we are living in has access to all these
media adverts and hence it tends to make people indulge in the various betting types. Almost
everyone owns a mobile phone or a television at home, or comes a newspaper a day hence
gambling knowledge is conveyed easily to different target groups over a very short while. People
who lack that type of information update rarely bet because they have less or no information
about gambling.
Bonus
Many gambling companies have come up with the idea of either doubling the first initial
deposit amount or providing with free bets upon making first deposits. Other companies give
free bonus amount on registration and others on the first deposit made hence this make many
people try gambling ( McMillen, Catherine , & Vince, 2015, p. 56). The bonus amount gives
much hope hence they pass the information to their friends. The people who lack such crucial
information on a betting company lack interest in gambling hence they rarely or don’t bet.

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The following are the socio-economic impacts on the livelihood of Australian gamblers
Relationship breakdown-(familiar instability)
In Australia, financial problems due betting by spouses has led to divorce and many
relationship breakdowns. Financial stress caused in families affects children, fathers, and
mothers in a relationship. Spouses who engage in gambling tend to fall into arguments and lies.
They always make excuses to benefit their betting options, they try hard to continue with
gambling hence their counterparts do not take this for long and they mostly end up breaking up.
These arguments and lies cause untrustworthy in a relationship and hence they end up breaking
up. Spouses do not take part in their home building projects for gambling takes almost all their
time and money. It is estimated that 1500 divorces occur annually in the country due to
irresponsible gambling. The people who don’t take part in gambling do not always experience
this divorce problem.
Increased Crime
People who engage in gambling find themselves on the crime side in Australia. This
mostly happens when the gambler lacks money to do betting with hence they end up stealing
from others so that they can get the betting amount (Wardle , Keily , Astbury , & Reith, 2014, p.
78). Another crime type is that a person who wins big in gambling is in a risk of being raided and
the amount of a risk of being stolen. Research shows that idlers who take part in gambling end
up being involved in crime, they try to avenge their loss in betting by stealing from others. They
always think that by doing a crime will reduce their feeling of loss in a gamble, a research has
shown that majority of people arrested in the country was through embezzlement or

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misappropriation of funds. The people who don’t take part in betting rarely involve in crime
activities.
Job loss
Gamblers in Australia experience an increased job loss. This is mainly caused by lateness
in work due to gambling, absence, alcoholism due to a loss of a bet or poor productivity at work.
A loss in a bet may make a person be late for work due to a psychological problem, the same can
happen in terms of low productivity due to late coming or absence from work. The employers
tend to sack the gamblers for they spend much of their time betting other than taking part in the
productivity of the company. Australians that do not take part in gambling do not easily lose
their jobs due to the absence or late coming.
Depression
This is an advanced level of stress due to a loss in gambling. A person who continually
experiences losses in gambling experiences stress and as it advances it results in depression.
Depression has resulted in suicidal rise rates in the country (Storer , Abbott , & Stubbs, 2014, p.
145). People who stake high in a bet and end up losing tend to be the most affected by stress then
depression after that suicide occurs. The problem has risen due to irresponsible gambling in
people. Depression can also be as a result of job loss or divorce due to gambling. Australians
who don’t take part in betting rarely experience depression or suicidal cases.

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Financial problems
Research shows that gamblers in the country experience financial instability. This is
mainly caused by staking high and at the same time losing the whole amount. This has also
caused increased bankruptcy cases. Gamblers tend to withdraw the entire amount in their bank
accounts hoping to multiply the amount in gambling (Dickson-Swift , James , & Kippen, 2015,
p. 145). This effect may result in other negative impacts like crime and divorce. People who do
not take part in gambling do not always suffer financial problems or bankruptcy.
Health problems
In a research, it is confirmed that many gamblers engage in alcoholism after either a loss
or a big win. Upon losing in gambling, the person tends to indulge in so much drinking so that he
can try to forget the whole incident of loss. On the other hand, gamblers also do alcoholism upon
winning great; they take too much alcohol to thank themselves for the win (Auger , Cantinotti ,
& O'loughlin, 2015, p. 132). This alcoholism leads to health problems to many including
memory loss and impaired judgment. People who don’t take part in irresponsible gambling do
not mainly engage in alcoholism hence reduced or no alcohol-caused health problems.
Debts
Gamblers in the country have an increased debt rate. This is mainly caused by gamblers
borrowing money in order to stake in a bet, in the event of a loss they tend to borrow again. This
happens again and again until they find themselves in great debts (Delfabbro & Thrupp, 2014, p.
176). Research has shown that they are defaulters in debt payment and again they borrow from

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different sources hence they fill bad debts all over. Irresponsible gambling causes a rise in unpaid
debts hence the people in Australia who do not practice gambling have a reduced debt rate.
Employment
A rise in gambling companies has seen a rise in employment opportunities for many. An
investor provides employment to the Australian people around the betting company hence they
benefit from the sport. An increase in these gambling companies has realized a rise in
employment opportunities for the youth (Dickson-Swift , James , & Kippen, 2015, p. 187).
Tourism
Visit by other foreigners into Australia is partly affected by gambling. Other tourists visit
the country to invest in the sport. This is an indirect benefit to the Australian residents through
foreign investors (Dickson-Swift , James , & Kippen, 2015, p. 190).
Conclusion
The Australian government should put up schools to educate people on irresponsible
gambling and provide them with alternative teaching on how and where to invest their cash.
People should be taught on ways to avoid or tackle stress and depression in the event of a loss in
gambling. Married couples should be taught on ways to avoid gambling to reduce the number of
divorces annually.