Gambling And Suicide: The Latest Research On Risks (2025)

Gambling addiction and suicide are profoundly linked. For more than a century, people have known that gambling harm is statistically associated with suicide.

Over the years, studies globally have proven that people who develop a gambling addiction are more likely to have suicidal thoughts and attempt suicide.

Suicide is a complex phenomenon influenced by political, geographic, and cultural particularities. Nonetheless, an enormous body of academic research shows that gambling and an addiction to the activity increase the risk of suicide.

Research into the relationship between gambling and suicide remains ongoing. In recent years, casino gambling and sports betting have increasingly occurred through computers and mobile devices.

Let’s review some of the most prominent research from the past two decades.

Gambling and Suicide Studies Overview

Researchers globally have looked at the links between problem gambling and suicide. 

Please note that the years below refer to the year the study was published, not when researchers collected the data.

• 2003 United States study: 40% of gambling addicts make at least one suicide attempt
• 2007 Canada study: Gambling addicts have 3.4 times higher odds of a suicide attempt
• 2014 Japan study: Gambling addiction has a 12% suicide attempt prevalence
• 2015 New Zealand study: Youth with at least two problem gambling indicators are 8 times more likely to attempt suicide
• 2015 Canada study: Students with problem gambling are 17.8 times more likely to have an attempt
• 2018 Sweden study: Gambling addiction carries a 15-fold increase in suicide mortality
• 2020 United Kingdom study: 20% problem gamblers were suicidal in the past year
• 2021 Italy study: Gambling addiction carries a 16% mortality risk increase
• 2021 United States study: Suicidal ideation among minorities with gambling addiction is higher
• 2021 Spain study: Problem gambling carries a 20% lifetime suicidal ideation prevalence
• 2022 African study: Analysis of media reporting shows greater frequency of gambling-related suicides
• 2023 Australian study: Nearly 5% of all suicides are gambling-related
• 2023 United States study: Each additional casino in a county is associated with a 1.6% higher suicide rate
• 2025 Ireland study: ~1% of coroner files in suicide cases noted gambling, but researchers said it’s an underrepresentation
• 2025 United Kingdom study: Gambling addicts have 4 times the suicide risk after several years

U.K. Gambling Suicide Study 2025

The latest gambling and suicide research comes from the University of Bristol.

In a paper published in September 2025, researchers found that problem gamblers have triple the suicide risk one year later and quadruple the risk four years later. The baseline was non-problem gamblers.

It was an innovative study on gambling and suicide.

Researchers analyzed data from 2,800 people in the Children of the 90s study, which has followed 14,000 pregnant women and their families since the early 1990s.

“This study tracked people from birth, meaning we could look at the long term impacts of problem gambling, and could rule out alternative explanations that hinder previous studies, such as that people might be drawn to problem gambling as a way of escaping pre-existing suicidal feelings,” said lead author Olly Bastiani, researcher at the University of Bristol Translational and Applied Research Group.

The study used the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), a questionnaire commonly used to assess harmful gambling. A score of eight and above indicates problem gambling. 

Researchers found that the future suicidality link was worst among 20-year-olds, where there was a 20% increase in suicide attempts for every increment on the PGSI.

Up to 500 suicides are linked to betting every year in England, according to the University of Bristol.

Gambling and ‘Perceived Burdensomeness’

A common factor in gambling addiction and suicide is the presence of debt. Financial problems can cause what has been called “perceived burdensomeness.”

This is the feeling that you’re a burden to your friends, family, community, or even society at large, because of your gambling problem. The feeling can coincide with another called “thwarted belongingness.” This is the perception that one is lonely and lacks reciprocally supportive relationships

A Harvard study published in October 2025 has provided the latest insights into these perceptions. Addressing them could be crucial for gambling addiction treatment.

Do Suicides Happen at Casinos?

Most suicides happen in a private setting. Regarding gambling-related suicides, there is limited research into where these untimely and tragic deaths occur.

We do have anecdotal evidence of people jumping from casino structures, often parking garages. We seldom know what happened leading up to the death, but we can infer that, in some cases, the incident involved gambling addiction.

Casino suicides have been documented for decades.

In 2019, former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, a Republican, made headlines for his opposition to casinos. He said that suicides were happening at casinos. 

He wasn’t wrong, but he made the unsubstantiated claim that they happened every day. 

“Every night somewhere in America, somebody takes their life in a casino because they’ve wasted the last semblance of dignity and hope that they had,” Bevin said.

A study published in 2008 found that Las Vegas residents registering in local hotels (most of which are connected to a casino) had a statistically significant increased suicide risk.

Online Betting and Suicide

There is very little research that isolates online gambling as a distinct exposure for suicide. 

Most peer-reviewed work links problem gambling to suicidality without cleanly separating online versus land-based gambling.

However, there is a growing body of research that suggests online betting apps can carry higher addiction risks. The explosion of online sports betting in the U.S., for example, has led to worsening financial health among Americans.

With higher addiction prevalence could come greater suicide risk. Still, we need more research to understand the relationship between gambling apps and suicide.

Can ‘Responsible Gambling’ Curb Suicide Risks?

“Responsible gambling” tools from casinos and betting apps may reduce suicide risks.

These tools include self-exclusion and self-imposed deposit and wagering limits. Tools available to help reduce gambling harm vary greatly by country or state.

Like the link between betting and suicide, research is ongoing globally into the efficacy of these tools. The World Health Organization has criticized the industry approach.

The industry generally views responsible gambling as a player retention tool, designed to boost the lifetime value of a gambler.

According to the W.H.O., very few gambling addicts seek help or treatment.

“The preferred regulatory approach of the gambling industry – so-called responsible gambling – adds to this burden by effectively blaming those who experience harm. Responsible gambling interventions are typically ineffective, particularly where the uptake of measures is optional.”

The W.H.O. advocated for mandatory systems that involve limits on time and money spent gambling. The group said that voluntary systems have poor uptake and are non-enforceable.