Prevalence of problem gambling among Japanese adults

The prevalence of problem gambling has garnered considerable interest in numerous developed countries. In Japan, problem gambling may be far more prevalent than in other developed countries; however, there is little empirical research confirming this. Therefore, we estimated the prevalence of problem gambling in Japan using a standardized screening tool: The South Oaks Gambling Screen Revised (SOGS-R) and investigated the association between problem gambling and demographics such as gender, age, marital status, income, and educational background. We believe this study is necessary because gambling is a growing social problem in Japan that could worsen with the expected introduction of casinos in Japan due to the legalization of casino gambling in December 2016. Therefore, we surveyed participants’ experience of casino games both on the internet and abroad. Cross-sectional data were collected via a web-based survey of 6576 Japanese adults 20 years old and older. We found that the prevalence rate of problem gambling in Japan was significantly high from an international perspective. Restricting casino accessibility for individuals with high-risk factors could be effective in reducing gambling problems.