A panel of academics has raised concerns over the growing public health risks associated with gambling in an online discussion, moderated by WBZ-TV journalist Laura Haefeli and hosted at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Speaking on the Zoom panel, Timothy Fong, Co-Director of the UCLA Problem Gambling Studies Program, acknowledged that gambling has been “part of human behavior for hundreds of thousands of years,” but said modern delivery of gambling products had “changed the fabric of our bodies and our minds”.
“Tech makes sure the experience is seamless; the gambling industry make it tantalizing; and the financial industry makes it possible to put your money in with just a click or a tap,” he said. The combination “makes it more dangerous,” added Shekhar Saxena, a Chan School adjunct professor of global mental health.
