Gambling prevalence on the Isle Of Man

Ironically, internet casino and poker gambling is low on the preferences of punters on the Isle of Man, home to a number of major online gambling technology companies, and a popular international licensing and regulatory jurisdiction.

Data from a new Gambling Prevalence Survey on the Isle of Man, sponsored by the Standard Bank and carried out by Gamcare, shows that punters are mainly in the 25 to 34 years age demographic; 78 percent of the population had gambled in the previous 12 months; and the most popular gambling activity was the National Lottery Draw, with 69 percent of respondents buying a ticket in the past 12 months.

This was 10 percent more than the same observed behaviour in the British Gambling Prevalence Survey 2010 .

The next most popular gambling activities in the Isle of Man were scratchcards (32 percent), other lotteries (19 percent) and horse racing (15 percent).

Apart from the top four activities, the gambling activity men most participated in was private betting (16 percent). For women, that was bingo (12 percent).

The study concluded that although 4 percent of men over 16 on the island are ‘at risk’ of developing a gambling problem, just 0.2 percent of men and 0.1 percent of women presented a score of above five, putting them in the actual ‘pathological gambler’ category.

Using the American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistics Manual – IV (DSM-IV) as a measure, the survey showed 3.9 percent of men and 1.9 percent of women over the age of 16 in the Isle of Man were in the ‘at risk’ category for problem gambling (scoring either 1 or 2 on the DSM-IV scale).

Those unemployed and unable to work due to long-term disability were most likely to score on the DSM-IV scale, with 7.8 percent scoring one and 2.5 percent scoring two, putting them in the ‘at risk’ category.

The study, a first for the Isle of Man, was carried out in conjunction with the National Centre for Social Research and the Department of Health’s Mental Health Service, along with the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission.

Of the 4,000 surveys sent out to random addresses, 1,942 responses were received.