Editorial: Gambling Research

Excerpt

As the world economies struggle to survive the current economic depression with large industries facing the possibility of bankruptcy, gambling enterprises are re-adjusting their current business practices to minimize financial harms. In fact, gambling businesses are among the few select industries that have not been devastated by the impact of global economic meltdown. A quick search of local newspapers and magazines during 2007 to 2008 reveals few references to gambling related entertainment corporations reporting losses anywhere close to what manufacturing, financial, transportation or natural resource sectors have had to endure. Certainly, explosive advancement in communications could partly be credited for the success of this industry. Considering the success of this business, what do we know of the impact of this form of entertainment on the behaviour of individuals and societies? The existing literature points to various sites where gambling impact is expressed including genetic expression, biochemical mechanisms, psychological adaptation, social interactions and institutional policies. From this list, we should be hard pressed to view gambling as anything less than a complex phenomenon which requires to be examined on varying level of analysis. With this in mind, it is important to identify the current gap in gambling literature that affects the interpretation, classification, measurement, prevention and treatment of gambling related disorders. Currently, the amount of published work on gambling represents “a small fraction of the total of publication in the addiction field” (Fong 2008). …