Assessing self‐reported expenditures on gambling

Estimates of the proportion of gambling revenues derived from problem gamblers represent an important element in the rational calculus of public gambling policy. However, a critical concern in calculating such estimates is the accuracy of self‐reported expenditure data. In this paper, we review an emerging literature on estimating the proportion of expenditures from problem gamblers for different types of gambling, with a focus on the relationship between self‐reported estimates and known spending. We then examine recent national survey data pertaining to this matter. After detailing several of the challenges in the effort to assess self‐reported expenditures on different types of gambling, we recommend some methodological improvements that can be made in response to these problems.