In 2019, 1.6% of gamblers engaged in excessive practice, compared to 0.8% in 2014. This is what Public Health France reveals in its latest barometer on the practice of gambling.
- Between 2014 and 2019, the share of French people playing gambling doubled, from 0.8 to 1.6%.
- According to Public Health France, 6% of players would be considered to be “at moderate or excessive risk”.
- The expenditure allocated to gambling can represent up to 10% of the leisure budget of some French people, with an average expenditure of €400 per year.
“In 2019, fewer French people play gambling than in 2014”, this is the conclusion of Public Health France in its latest barometer on the practice of money and chance games in 2019. Published last June, the document draws a paradoxical observation: even if they are becoming rarer, players have more and more intensive practices. Thus, in 5 years, their spending on games has increased by 12.5%.
Furthermore, 1.6% of players engaged in excessive practice in 2019, compared to 0.8% in 2014. Six percent of players were considered “moderate or excessive risk” in 2019, compared to 4.6% 5 years ago, while it was estimated that there were 4.4% of “moderate risk gamblers last year and 3.8% in 2014.
An average spend of 400 euros per year on gambling
“In terms of public health, we are very far from other addictions such as alcohol or tobacco, which affect many more people. But there is a significant increase in the number of people in difficulty”, estimates Jean-Michel Costes, the general secretary of the Observatory of the plays. “These developments may seem worrying”can we read in the barometer.
Another observation: the French devote nearly 10% of their budget allocated to leisure to gambling, that is to say an expenditure of around €200 per year per adult resident. “Which represents, compared to all the players alone, an average expenditure of around €400 per yearindicates the barometer. However, this expenditure is unevenly distributed between players: a majority of players only spend modest sums on their gambling activity.
Sports betting: the most risky game
The most popular activities last year were draw games, with 65% of players involved, and scratch games, which 56.9% of players took part in. Among this type of games, the lottery occupies a predominant place, with 91.7% of practitioners. Sports betting comes in third place among the most popular activities, behind draw and scratch games, with 11% of players concerned, compared to 6.6% 5 years ago.
“This trend can also be seen in the volume of sports betting, which has multiplied by 2.8 in five years”, says the document. Growth is all the more marked for bets on the Internet, which have become the majority on the market since 2018. The problem: sports betting represents the greatest risk among the different types of games. “Practiced by one in ten players, up to a quarter of problem gambling behaviors can be attributed to them”alerts the barometer.
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