International Students Are More Likely To Be Problem Gamblers

When it comes to gambling, university students tend to fall into a grey area. Playing casino games can be more harmful for them than for the average adult, but they are not underage players. As such, student gamblers are often overlooked. To shed some light on the situation, researchers are looking into the issue – and a recent study finds that international students are more at risk than local students.

At Deakin University, Swinburne University and Bond University, researchers interviewed hundreds of students about their gambling habits. 832 local students and 756 international students were surveyed to gain more understand about gambling behaviour among university students. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the researchers found that 5% of all students who gamble have compulsive gambling tendencies.

While this seems like an insignificant statistic, it is much higher than the national average. Across the entire population of Australia, less than 1% of all adults are problem gamblers and between 1.4% and 2.1% are at-risk gamblers. So, the rate of problem gambling seems to be much higher among students. When focusing in on international students, the statistics become even more worrying.

10% of male international students can be classified as problem gamblers. Although they wagered on casino games and sportsbetting less frequently, they were engaging in much riskier behaviour and losing more money. The research team has some theories as to why this is the case. Firstly, students may be more inclined to gamble than older adults since they have only recently reached the legal drinking age.

International students may experience higher rates of gambling addiction because they experience more financial and emotional stress, and they are also more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety or depression. Gambling may be seen as a way to cope.

The report concludes: "This is consistent with prior research indicating that international students have less social support, use less functional coping strategies, have more difficulty adjusting, and are more stressed than local students”.