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To compare the harms associated with low-risk gambling behaviour such as playing Lottery or casino games from time to time with serious physical diseases such as cancer and even physical bodily mutilation is a theory or statement that borders on the obscene. This is according to leading New Zealand economic advisor, TBD Advisory (TBD).
TBD recently released a video commentary relating to various allegations made in a report on the effects of low-risk gambling mandated by the country’s Ministry of Health. The report, “Measuring the Burden of Gambling Harm in New Zealand” has been described by TBD as essentially flawed and possibly even purposefully misleading and biased.
Report Not Worth The Money
The report was initially considered worth some NZ$319,000 to the country’s health department but is in reality possibly not worth the paper that it was written on in terms of trusted research value. This due to the fact that according to TBD Advisory, the analysis of low risk gambling as addressed by the report, contains no fewer than 10 gross research flaws.
What the research contained in the report basically suggests is that low-risk gambling may be compared to various diseases and even complete physical incapacity due to mutilation. Full-on addiction to casino games, sports betting or any other type of gambling is compared to suffering from terminal cancer or even the long-lasting effects of a major stroke.
Another major flaw as propagated by the supposed “research” contained in the controversial write-up is the fact that gambling is a unique addiction all unto itself, and therefore especially damaging and even capable of robbing the individual suffering from the addition of up to 20% of his or her quality of life. This flawed argument completely disregards the fact that addiction – any addiction – is in reality the result of a deeper-rooted cause and not, as purported by the authors of the report, a harm all unto itself.
Survey Wasn’t Random
Another reason as to why the findings of the report cannot be regarded as trustworthy or reliable is the fact that the survey-participants relied on by the authors responsible for having compiled the research study are suspected of being biased toward one or more specific ideas surrounding gambling-related harm. Plus, the mentioned participants were not selected completely at random.
The country’s Gaming Machine Association of New Zealand has now called on either the complete withdrawal of the report, or that it should be published together with a due warning concerning the flawed and biased research approach as it is not an accurate reflection of the casino industry at all.