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Gambling and related behavioural risks are increasingly recognised as important public health and public policy issues. While gambling is often framed primarily as a matter of entertainment and consumer choice, harmful gambling can generate substantial costs for individuals, families, communities, and public institutions. These harms extend beyond financial losses to include mental health impacts, addiction, relationship breakdown, reduced productivity, and, in severe cases, debt-related distress and social exclusion. This research stream examines how policy can mitigate these harms effectively while maintaining fairness, legitimacy, and proportionality in regulatory design.

A key part of the policy challenge lies in shaping gambling environments that are safer for consumers, while also responding to rapid market change 鈥� particularly the growth of online gambling, targeted advertising, and new forms of digital engagement. The research considers how different regulatory approaches (including licensing rules, marketing restrictions, consumer protection measures, age-related access policies, and enforcement practices) influence risk exposure and harm over time. Importantly, it also recognises that poorly designed regulation can create unintended consequences, including the expansion of illegal or unregulated gambling markets, which can undermine consumer protections and weaken oversight.

Prevention and early intervention form an important component of this work. This includes examining practical tools aimed at reducing harm among young people and other vulnerable groups, strengthening early detection mechanisms, and improving access to support and treatment. The research also pays attention to how preventive and intervention strategies are communicated in practice 鈥� including how risk messaging, warnings, and targeted interventions are perceived by individuals at higher risk of harm.

A further emphasis is placed on evidence-based evaluation and policy learning. The research examines the effectiveness and economic implications of regulatory and preventive tools, including cost-effectiveness and distributional impacts, and explores how better regulation principles can be applied in a domain where harms are heterogeneous and often underreported. The goal is to support policymakers with clear analytical frameworks and empirical evidence on what works in reducing gambling-related harm 鈥� under what conditions, and at what cost.