Spatial Concentration of Gambling Opportunities: an Urban Scale Perspective

Critics allege that there is a worrying proliferation of gambling opportunities in the UK. Unfortunately, most studies on the proliferation of gambling opportunities focus on regional patterns. This study employs city-wide analyses to investigate linkages between neighbourhood deprivation and gambling provisioning in urban centres by carrying out comparative analyses of locational patterns of gambling establishments with grocery retailers. Results reveal significant variations at city and intra-urban levels of analysis compared to national/regional studies. This study found a higher likelihood of gambling establishments in ethnic minority, underprivileged and student neighbourhoods. In conclusion, this study recommends that approaches to tackle the proliferation of gambling should be tailored to reflect observed local patterns rather than ‘one-size fits all’ policies.