PROBLEM GAMBLING AND TYPE OF GAMBLING IN SERBIA: THE

ROLE OF DEMOGRAPHIC AND PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS

Biljana Kilibarda1
Institute of Public Health of Serbia Dr Milan Jovanović Batut, Belgrade, Serbia

Boban Nedeljković2
Institute of Economic Sciences, Belgrade, Serbia

Jovan Zubović3
Institute of Economic Sciences, Belgrade, Serbia

MOTIVATION
Problem gambling has been recognized worldwide as an emergent public health
issue. Previous studies have shown that problem gambling is associated with
psychological, social and financial consequences, which are not only restricted to
the individuals, but also extend to their families and the community as a whole.

RESEARCH QUESTION
Although many studies were conducted on the prevalence of problematic
gambling, there is a lack of research focused on the role of demographic and
psychosocial factors in explaining the risk for potentially harmful gambling.
Besides, specific types of gambling (such as lottery, sports betting, casino games,
slot machines) haven't received enough attention, despite the well-known
differences in their addictive potential. Therefore, our aim was to explore the role
of demographic and psychosocial factors in predicting both the problem gambling
and the lifetime participation in specific type of gambling.

1
Email address: kilibarda_b@batut.org.rs
2
Email address: boban.nedeljkovic@ien.bg.ac.rs
3
Email address: jovan.zubovic@ien.bg.ac.rs
METHODOLOGY
We used the data from two cross-sectional designed national surveys on lifestyles
in Serbia adult population conducted in 2014 (N=5385) and 2018 (N=2000). The
questionnaire used, developed on the basis of the EMCDDA European Model
Questionnaire, consisted of 158 items related to socio-demographic variables,
gambling (Lie/Bet screen; type of gambling), tobacco and illicit drugs use, alcohol
issues (RAPS) and psychological distress (Kessler-6). Logistic regression was used
in the analyses.

RESULTS
The results showed that male sex, any drug lifetime use, risky drinking,
unemployment and smoking 40 ≥ cigarettes per day are predictors of problem
gambling, where the highest contributor is drug use. Lottery playing is best
predicted for persons of age 45 to 54, high school education and mild to moderate
level of distress. Being male, younger than 55, not married, high school educated
with poor material status, mild to moderate level of distress, risky alcohol use and
the use of any drug is a predictor of sports betting. Male sex, age 25 to 34, mild to
moderate level of distress, smoking 40 ≥ cigarettes per day and the use of any
drug are predictors of lifetime participation in casino games. Similarly, being male,
aged 25 to 44, with the lifetime use of any drug is predictive of participation in slot
machines.
CONTRIBUTION
The most prominent finding is that lifetime use of any drug is a consistent
predictor of problem gambling and the lifetime participation in casino games and
slot machines. Even though the results are not pointing to the direction of
influence, they provide a valuable insight on relation between public health
concerns and thus can be seen as the input for development of evidence-based
policies. The future studies should include longitudinal design in order to clarify
the pathways of influence.

KEY WORDS
problem gambling, casino games, slot machines, drug use

JEL CLASSIFICATION

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