Perceptions of community members on the social impacts of casinos in Gauteng

Abstract

Gambling is a lucrative activity that is perceived as both a benefit and a curse to society. It has different levels of support and opposition from various sections of society and many positive and negative economic, socio-cultural, and environmental impacts. This study aims to investigate what kind of social impacts Gauteng’s casinos have on the surrounding communities. The researchers used an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), ANOVA, and t-tests to discover what social impacts the casinos in Gauteng have on communities in the area. Quantitative data was collected from 385 community members in the vicinity of eight casinos using a structured questionnaire. Despite many economic benefits that the casinos have on the communities, the results indicated that negative social impacts on the communities such as crime, divorces, and alcohol and drug abuse are also more common in these areas. The findings provide useful insight in for casino management, the decision-making body in government, and other stakeholders to reflect on the current social impacts that casinos in Gauteng have on the surrounding communities and encourage regular social audits on these casinos.