New taskforce to investigate link between gambling-related harm and crime
Howard League group to examine links as review reveals just 50 research papers on subject during last 25 years
A new group set up by the Howard League for Penal Reform will research potential links between gambling-related harm and crime, after a review found what it called a “dearth of research” into the subject.
An academic literature review by the Howard League, first begun in 2019, found that there were just 50 peer-reviewed papers published in the last 25 years, which expressly focused on the links between problem gambling and crime.
As part of the review, conducted by the Howard League’s Commission on Crime and Problem Gambling group, Howard League researchers looked at literature covering jurisdictions including Australasia, the US, Canada, Germany, Scandinavia and the UK.
To address this lack of evidence-based research, the group has been commissioned to conduct a triple-pronged research project into the issue comprising three strands, chaired by Lord Goldsmith QC.
The first project will look at the prevalence of gambling-related crime while the second will consider the lived experience of people caught up in the system. Finally, the third will explore the judges’ awareness of the issue.
The Commission, set up by the Howard League last year, seeks to establish what the links between problem gambling and crime are, the impact on society and what steps can be taken to address this.
Addressing the new project, Commission on Crime and Problem Gambling chair Lord Goldsmith QC highlighted increasing concerns about gambling-related harm and potential criminal consequences.
“The criminal justice system itself does very little work to capture the scale of the challenge and even less in terms of offering interventions like those we see for alcohol or drug problems,” Goldsmith said.
“This has to change and our Commission can play a key role in improving the response to disordered gambling and crime,” Goldsmith added.