A new study conducted in Norway has brought to light alarming findings regarding individuals receiving disability benefits and their significantly heightened risk of developing gambling disorders. Of course, the study should have implications for the UK’s Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) too – just as it’s about to make severe cuts to chronically ill and disabled people’s benefits. However, it’s unlikely it and the Labour Party government will take heed.
Gambling: plaguing chronically ill and disabled people – and now DWP cuts, too?
This extensive research, which spanned 11 years and involved national registry data from over 65,000 individuals, concluded that those reliant on disability support are more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with gambling disorders compared to the general population.
The findings have been published in the Journal of Gambling Studies.
This study’s revelations raise pressing questions regarding the support systems in place not just in Norway but also in the UK, where many depend on DWP benefits such as Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Personal Independence Payment (PIP).
Among the shocking statistics, it was noted that nearly one in five individuals diagnosed with a gambling disorder had previously received disability benefits. The disparity was even more pronounced for women, who were nearly four times more likely to develop gambling disorders compared to their non-benefit-receiving counterparts.
The researchers speculated on several potential reasons for these troubling findings.
The reasons
While the study did not establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship, it suggested that the very conditions leading to the award of disability benefits—such as mental health issues and chronic pain—may simultaneously heighten the risk of developing gambling behaviours. With DWP cuts coming in the UK, these problems are only going to worsen.
Another factor that researchers pointed out is the poverty and isolation often experienced by those on DWP-style benefits in Norway – therefore, here too.
With limited financial means, some individuals may resort to gambling as either a form of escapism or a misguided attempt to improve their financial situation. The increased accessibility of online gambling platforms only exacerbates this issue, particularly for those with restricted mobility or social isolation.
The data was drawn from the Norwegian Patient Registry alongside the country’s social welfare database, enabling insights into the potential prospective relationship between receiving DWP disability benefits and developing gambling disorders in the UK.
DWP cuts: making people’s circumstances even worse
Such population-level insights provide a compelling case for examining these issues in other nations, particularly in the UK, where gambling has become a rapidly growing concern alongside an increasingly precarious social safety net. There have been studies which have produced similar results in the UK – but they did not focus specifically on chronically ill and disabled people.
As the DWP continues its push for welfare cuts under the guise of reform, these findings raise crucial concerns about the wellbeing of chronically ill and disabled people.
A failure to acknowledge the unique vulnerabilities faced by DWP benefit claimants could result in inadequate protective measures. Experts advocate for the necessity of considering disability benefit recipients as a high-risk group for gambling-related harm and suggest implementing targeted screening and intervention programmes tailored for this demographic.
This Norwegian study’s implications should not be ignored. The gambling landscape has become more complex, and for those receiving DWP disability benefits, it may present an insidious threat amidst the challenges they already face.
The government should be taking a long, hard look at the intertwined issues of disability, mental health, and gambling disorders to ensure that adequate support systems are in place for the most vulnerable members of society.
Instead, the DWP are just going to cut their already limited support.
Featured image via the Canary
