Gambling-related problems are a growing concern in the Netherlands. Gambling is also popular among young people. Many young people report that they gamble occasionally. Gambling can lead to financial problems, debt, and tensions with family or friends.
The project ‘Early insight, less gambling harm: Prediction, prevention and early identification of gambling-related problems’ has received €2.5 million from ZonMw to conduct research into gambling-related problems. Led by Tranzo, Tilburg University, the project will work for five years to gain more insight into the prevention, prediction and early identification of gambling-related problems.
ABCD is participating in one of the subprojects. In this project, we will combine data from three long-running cohorts: the Generation R study, the GUTS study and our own ABCD study. We will use data collected early in life to predict gambling outcomes in young adulthood.
This will increase our knowledge about gambling behaviour and may, in the future, contribute to efforts to prevent gambling-related harm.