Description

The gambling industry is an important economic and financial sector, which produces employment (direct and indirect) and taxation revenue, and involves a gamblers population of millions of people. According to Insee in 2006, almost 30 million people in France, or three out of five people of gambling age, gamble at least once per year. Since 1975, the total value of stakes has doubled. According to the Trucy report, the turnover of the legitimate gambling industry has increased from the equivalent of 98 million euros in 1960 to 37 billion in 2006.
Gambling is social and cultural practices which have a very long history in leisure activities. They now occupy an important place in everyday life, both in free time and at special events. Whereas gambling is a recreational activity for a large number of people, they can be harmful for some, with individual, family and social-occupational consequences. For some gamblers, gambling can take on the features of addictive behavior.
The possible dangers of gambling are increasingly drawing the attention of public bodies and gambling operators themselves. A request made to Inserm by the Directorate General for Health for a collective expert report was motivated by the need to provide assistance, support and care for people with gambling difficulties.