A new study from the UK has found that people with gambling problems are more likely to die by suicide than those without, and that warning signs often appear in their health records long before the tragedy happens.
The study, published in BJPsych Open, is the first in the UK to use large-scale NHS data to explore the link between gambling harm and suicide risk.
Researchers from Swansea University and King’s College London used 30 years of anonymous healthcare records from Wales, collected between 1993 and 2023 through the SAIL Databank.
They compared 92 people with a diagnosed gambling problem who died by suicide with nearly 3,000 people who died from other causes. They examined GP visits, hospital admissions, outpatient appointments, and death records to find patterns that might predict suicide risk.
The team discovered that people with a gambling diagnosis who died by suicide had more recent contact with mental health services—especially through hospital admissions rather than GP appointments. This pattern suggests that their gambling harm and mental health struggles may have gone unnoticed or untreated until they reached a crisis point.
Dr. Daniel Leightley from King’s College London explained that the healthcare system often recognizes gambling harm too late. He said that asking about gambling more routinely in healthcare settings and recording it clearly could help identify people at risk earlier.
He also pointed out that wider environmental issues—such as constant gambling advertising, 24/7 online access, and financial stress—add to the problem. People working in high-stress or shift-based jobs may be especially vulnerable and need targeted support.
Professor Simon Dymond, lead author of the study and director of the Gambling Research, Education and Treatment (GREAT) Center at Swansea University, emphasized that gambling is not a rare activity—almost half of adults worldwide gamble each year. But when it becomes harmful, the consequences can be severe.
His team found that a gambling diagnosis was a stronger predictor of suicide than other mental health conditions, including depression, alcohol addiction, or schizophrenia. This means gambling disorder may pose a unique risk to life.
Dymond added that the true number of people affected is likely much higher because many individuals struggling with gambling do not seek help or receive a diagnosis. This means the findings may underestimate the real scale of harm and suicide risk linked to gambling.
The research shows that suicide risk can be identified earlier by looking at linked health records. If doctors and health services can recognize these patterns, they could step in with earlier intervention and support. This could include offering counseling, debt advice, or referrals to gambling support services before people reach a crisis.
The study is also connected to Dr. Leightley’s broader research on veterans’ health. The next step will be to study gambling-related harm and suicide risk among veterans, who may face additional mental health pressures.
In reviewing the findings, experts say this study is an important step in understanding how gambling harms can lead to suicide. It highlights that suicide prevention should not only focus on traditional mental health problems like depression but also on behavioral addictions like gambling.
The results suggest that health professionals should screen for gambling issues when people present with financial stress, anxiety, or depression, and that more needs to be done to reduce the social and environmental risks that fuel gambling harm.
The researchers call for better integration between mental health and addiction services, improved staff training to recognize gambling problems, and stronger public health campaigns to raise awareness of the link between gambling and suicide. They hope this work will encourage policymakers to act faster to protect vulnerable people and save lives.
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The study is published in BJPsych Open.
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