Should gambling be included in public health surveillance systems?

Abstract

This paper examines the question of whether indicators of pathological or disordered gambling should be included in current public health surveillance systems. Such inclusion can be justified in terms of the emerging associations between disordered gambling and the leading indicators of the risk for premature morbidity and mortality. Additional justification can be seen in terms of the potential of Internet gambling to increase the incidence of gambling disorders, particularly among younger and older populations. The paper describes characteristics of public health surveillance systems and recommends including gambling in such systems, on at least a provisional basis.