[Symposium 15] Disorders Due to Substance Use and Addictive Behaviors and Measures against Related Harm in Asia and around the Globe

[SY-15-03] Prevalence of problem gambling and a clinical follow-up study of gambling disorders in Japan

*Sachio Matsushita (Kurihama Medical and Addiction Center(Japan))

Keywords:

Gambling,Addiction,Actual situation

Japan reportedly has the third-largest gambling market after China and the United States. Compared to the rest of the world, Japan is in a unique situation in terms of gambling. Gambling is generally illegal in Japan although permissible by law for horse, bicycle, speedboat, and motorcycle racing events. The largest markets in the gambling industry are pachinko and pachislot. Unique gaming venues, such as pachinko parlors, are ubiquitous in Japan. This contrasts sharply with many Asian countries, where a small number of large casinos are heavily promoted and typically concentrated in a few major cities. Furthermore, the widespread accessibility of pachinko has created a unique gambling environment in Japan. Moreover, passed in 2018, the Integrated Resort Bill has attracted considerable attention owing to its attempt to institutionalize casinos.Although gambling is harmless to most individuals, it can be addictive and problematic, with severe negative consequences for some. Therefore, the expansion of legalized gambling is an important public health concern. Concerns about gambling have encouraged research into its epidemiology, as such studies can provide information about the incidence of gambling disorders (GD) and the potential effectiveness of policies implemented to prevent harm due to gambling. Although many such studies have been conducted worldwide in Asian countries are relatively sparse.This presentation reports data on the actual state of gambling and the results of a 2023 resident survey on the prevalence of GD in Japan. The results indicated that 44.9% of men and 26.5% of women have gambled in the past year and 2.8% and 0.5% were suspected of having GD, respectively. In addition to epidemiological studies, we report a clinical one-year follow-up study of patients with GD after diagnosis.