Gambling in prison (soutenu par la MILDECA)

A Sociological Study of Gambling Practices, Gamblers’ Trajectories, and Addiction Issues Among the Prison Population

The exploratory research we conducted between September 2021 and March 2023 on gambling practices and gambling addiction issues among the French prison population supports the findings of previous international studies on the subject: a high prevalence of gambling practices and gambling addiction issues among inmates in the facilities studied; a possible causal relationship between the gambling problems experienced by those affected and the reason for their incarceration; the persistence and diversity of gambling practices within the prison despite the ban and the more or less strict controls to which they are subject; a recreational aspect to these practices despite risky behaviors, particularly among gamblers who self-identify as having a problem; limited access to care for gamblers who would like to receive specific help but who may sometimes be reluctant to commit to a therapeutic process. These findings were, admittedly, more or less expected, but they remain nonetheless alarming, both from a social and a health perspective. Indeed, while some gamblers who have experienced gambling problems seem to take advantage of their incarceration to stop gambling, or even to seek treatment when they have the opportunity, others find ways to continue gambling among inmates or online, either for recreational purposes or to support themselves, with the risks that this entails. Above all, we observe the particular trajectory of a significant portion of these gamblers for whom their addiction to gambling is believed to have contributed to their imprisonment, sometimes on multiple occasions. While the criminogenic nature of this addiction remains to be demonstrated - if only because establishing a causal link between the gambling problems of the individuals concerned and their legal troubles depends on how they perceive them - it can nevertheless be asserted that there is indeed a risk, for certain so-called problem gamblers, of entering a “deviant trajectory” that could lead to incarceration, bearing in mind that this risk depends in particular on their living conditions, their social environment, their gambling practices, and their trajectory as gamblers.