The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on gamblers and their families in Italy: A systematic review

As one of the first countries to be hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the fourth ranked country in the world for money lost on gambling in 2019 (over <euro>19 billion), Italy is a perfect observatory in which to study how the pandemic affected gambling behaviour. Pandemic-induced restrictions led to long periods of reduced opportunities for land-based gambling in 2020 and 2021. This impacted particularly slot machines, which are the most financially damaging type of gambling, that causes around 80% of cases of gambling disorder referred to the Italian Addiction Treatment Services. This systematic review describes the consequences of this involuntary public health measure for gamblers and their families. Most of the reviewed studies showed, in the investigated sample, no craving, an overall decrease in gambling behaviours, and little switching from land-based to online gambling during the lockdown. Affected family members appreciated the immediate effects of their relatives' abstention from gambling, and a better family climate with better relationships resulted. But they remained concerned about the expected reopening at the end of the pandemic lockdown. These results show how effective such an approach would be if it were long-lasting and suggests that measures to limit the accessibility of gambling are crucial to reduce the harm it can cause for people and families.