RESEARCH REPORT
The relationship between gambling and intimate partner violence against women
This qualitative study investigated the relationship between gambling and violence by men against their female intimate partners.
The study involved 116 interviews with:
- women with lived experience of violence that was linked to their male partner’s gambling
- women with lived experience of violence that was linked to their own gambling
- men who had used gambling-related violence against a female partner
- service providers from domestic and family violence services, gambling help, financial counselling and other allied services.
The study found that while gambling does not directly cause intimate partner violence, it reinforces the gendered drivers of violence to intensify the frequency and severity of intimate partner violence against women.
The study highlighted the prevalence of economic abuse among women experiencing gambling-related intimate partner violence. It also identified that gambling venues serve as safe spaces for women, and that in many areas there are few alternatives.
The study found that some service providers, as well as the community, lack awareness about the link between gambling and intimate partner violence. In terms of service delivery, screening and integrated service responses for both gambling problems and intimate partner violence were found to be limited.
The study further found that gambling-related harm (including economic abuse) is enabled by current protocols of gambling operators and financial institutions.
Publication details
This work is part of the ANROWS Research reports series. ANROWS Research reports are in-depth reports on empirical research produced under ANROWS’s research program.
Authors
PROFESSOR NERILEE HING
Research Professor, Experimental Gambling Research Laboratory, Central Queensland University
DR CATHERINE O’MULLAN
Senior Lecturer, Central Queensland University
DR ELAINE NUSKE
Senior Lecturer, Southern Cross University
DR HELEN BREEN
Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Southern Cross University
LYDIA MAINEY
Lecturer, Central Queensland University
PROFESSOR ANNABEL TAYLOR
Research Professor, Queensland Centre for Domestic and Family Violence Research, Central Queensland University
DR ANDREW FROST
Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Central Queensland University
NANCY GREER
Research Worker and PhD candidate, Central Queensland University
DR REBECCA JENKINSON
Manager and Senior Research Fellow, Australian Gambling Research Centre
UMA JATKAR
Senior Research Officer, Australian Gambling Research Centre
JULIE DEBLAQUIERE
Senior Research Officer, Australian Gambling Research Centre
DR ANGELA RINTOUL
Research Fellow, Australian Gambling Research Centre
DR ANNA THOMAS
Research Translation Manager, RMIT University
ERIKA LANGHAM
Lecturer, Central Queensland University
PROFESSOR ALUN JACKSON
Honorary Professorial Fellow, University of Melbourne
DR JAMIE LEE
Principal Researcher, Relationships Australia South Australia
VIJAY RAWAT
Research Worker, Central Queensland University
ISBN: 978-1-925925-55-5 (print) | 978-1-925925-56-2 (online)
141 pp.
Suggested citation
Hing, N., O’Mullan, C., Nuske, E., Breen, H., Mainey, L., Taylor, A., … Rawat, V. (2020). The relationship between gambling and intimate partner violence against women (Research report, 21/2020). Sydney: ANROWS.