Gaza War Linked to Rise in Problem Gambling in Israel

Israel is preparing to mark two years since the October 7 attack in 2023, when Hamas and allied militant groups killed more than 1,200 people, took 251 hostages, and set off the war in Gaza that has since claimed tens of thousands of lives.

In the wake of the events, a new study comes to highlight the country’s deep mental and emotional distress and its ties to problem gambling.

Coping Mechanisms Spiraling Into Harmful Behaviors 

Research from the Israel Center for Addiction and Mental Health (ICAMH) at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, with support from researchers from across other universities and medical centers in the country, shows that men who are having trouble managing their emotions are more prone to suffer from gambling problems in the wake of the massacre. 

The longitudinal study, led by Prof. Mario Mikulincer and Dr. Uri Lifshin, was published in the Journal of Gambling Studies and kept track of close to 900 Jewish Israeli adults before and during the war. 

Results showed a sharp increase in the number of problem gamblers among men with higher Emotional Regulation Scores, with the October 7 trauma further intensifying the risk and “pushing some toward gambling as a way to escape”, as explained by Prof. Mikulincer. 

Surprising Findings

However, the study on 445 men and 444 women painted an even more complex and somewhat surprising story, showing that while some individuals who didn’t gamble before or weren’t affected by it started to adopt the habit post-trauma, high-risk gamblers did the opposite, decreasing the time spent playing during the crisis. 

Moreover, the research showed that those who put in more effort in trying to understand their emotions were more prone to use gambling as a means of comfort and regulation. The findings stayed the same across all age groups, independent of the level of education, indicating that they represented an effect on the collective psyche and not a characteristic of any group in particular. 

Nonetheless, the broader conclusion is clear: national traumas have a powerful echo both in public and private, with special emphasis on gambling and other similar acts of coping that can easily turn into harm. 

“Collective traumas do not vanish when the fighting stops,” Prof. Mikulincer added. “They linger in our minds, our relationships, and in the choices people make to endure another day.” 

The “Gambling in the Shadow of War: Evidence of Increased Problem Gambling for Men with Difficulties in Emotional Regulation During a Mass Trauma” study aims to offer more insight into the struggles leading to problematic gambling behaviors, while developing better support tools for those going through collective trauma.