Does Gambling Harm or Benefit Other Industries? A Systematic Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4309/jgi.2020.44.2Keywords:
gambling, substitution, cannibalization, systematic reviewAbstract
The economic benefits of gambling may be offset by economic harm to other industries. This economic phenomenon, also known as substitution or cannibalization, refers to a new product that diverts consumption and profits from other products or industries. Gambling may displace revenue from other businesses, but economic impact studies on gambling do not consider such shifts between expenditures. This paper presents a systematic review of the available evidence (N = 118) on whether the introduction or expansion of gambling harms or benefits other business activity. Although the issue has been considered in previous review studies, no industry-level analysis is currently available. The results show that such an approach is necessary, as the impacts of gambling on other industries appear to depend strongly on the type of industry, as well as on the location and type of gambling. Industries that are negatively affected by gambling include other recreation, retail and merchandise, manufacturing, and agriculture and mining. Alcohol consumption, construction, and the finance, insurance, and real estate industries, as well as other services, appear to be positively affected by the presence of gambling. In other cases, the evidence is either mixed or inconclusive. These results nevertheless depend strongly on the type of gambling. Destination gambling appears to be more beneficial to other industries than recreational gambling. Overall, the results show that even in cases when gambling does substitute for other industries, the displacement is not complete. The reasons for this and the gaps in the existing evidence and literature are discussed.
Résumé
Les avantages économiques obtenus des jeux de hasard peuvent être neutralisés par un préjudice économique porté à d’autres secteurs d’activités. Ce phénomène économique, également appelé substitution ou cannibalisation, fait référence au fait qu’un nouveau produit détourne la consommation et les profits tirés d’autres produits ou secteurs d’activités. Les jeux de hasard peuvent également soustraire des revenus d’autres entreprises, mais les études d’impact économique sur les jeux de hasard ne prennent pas en compte de tels mouvements des dépenses. Ce document présente une analyse systématique des preuves disponibles (N = 118) permettant de déterminer si l’introduction ou l’accroissement de l’offre de jeux porte préjudice ou apporte un avantage à d’autres activités économiques. Bien que la question ait été examinée dans une précédente étude, aucune analyse des secteurs d’activité n’est actuellement disponible. Les résultats montrent qu’une telle approche est nécessaire, car les impacts du jeu sur d’autres secteurs d’activités semblent dépendre fortement du type d’activité, mais également de l’emplacement et du type de jeu. Les secteurs qui sont négativement touchés par les jeux de hasard comprennent les autres loisirs, la vente au détail et les marchandises, la fabrication, l’agriculture et les mines. Les ventes d’alcool, la construction, le secteur de la finance, des assurances et de l’immobilier et d’autres services semblent en contrepartie bénéficier de la présence de jeux de hasard. Dans d’autres cas, les preuves sont soit mitigées, soit peu concluantes. Ces résultats dépendent néanmoins fortement du type de jeu. Les destinations de jeux semblent être dans l’ensemble plus avantageuses pour les autres industries que le jeu récréatif. Dans l’ensemble, les résultats montrent que même dans les cas où le jeu se substitue à d’autres activités, le déplacement n’est pas complet. Dans cet article, on aborde les raisons sous-jacentes à ces mouvements ainsi que les lacunes dans les preuves existantes et la littérature.
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