Summary:

Until quite recently, gambling harms have largely been identified with the clinical entity of problem gambling. In the past decade, however, a broader view of the impacts of gambling has emerged with a shift in focus from problem gambling to ‘gambling-related harm.’The goal of this report is to build on this emerging research area of investigating gambling harms as these are reported to have been experienced by gamblers. The recently adopted Research Strategy for Gaming in Massachusetts emphasizes the importance of research results that will inform programming to prevent and mitigate gambling harm in Massachusetts. In support of this initiative, the present report seeks to identify gambling harms reported by key demographic groups and without regard to the prevalence of problem gambling among members of these groups.