The study adopted a public health approach, examining costs associated with gambling problems across the broad spectrum of severity (low to high). It includes estimates of the tangible and intangible costs of gambling harm to Victoria associated with all gambling forms, including illegal offshore wagering. It also considers the significant impact of gambling harm on affected others such as family members and friends, as well as the wider community.

The study sought to quantify the cost of gambling harm to Victoria in financial terms. The total cost of gambling to Victoria in 2022-23 was estimated to be $14.1 billion, almost double that of the total size of the industry. The costs are disproportionately associated with certain forms of gambling, particularly electronic gaming machines and wagering, which together account for most of the total costs. 

The results of the study highlight several key findings that have important implications for understanding and addressing the costs of gambling harm in Victoria.

The costs associated with gambling harm were categorised as follows:

• financial impacts
• emotional and psychological harm to a person who gambles
• relationships and family
• productivity loss and work or study impacts
• costs to the Victorian and local governments
• crime, including costs to corrections, court and police systems
• costs to non-profit organisations
• costs to the federal government.

The report is accompanied by four fact sheets.