This evidence brief summarizes recent literature on casino social contracts and geographic determinants of gambling harm. A casino social contract is a written agreement between a gambling operator and the municipal government of the community hosting the casino. The contract acknowledges the potential positive and negative impacts of a new casino in the community, and identifies the gambling operator's commitments to improving the community's social and economic wellbeing, and minimizing negative impacts. The brief discusses general principles and specific focus areas of social contracts, as well as actual casino social contracts being developed in Canada and the United States.
The second section discusses geographic determinants of gambling harm. Gambling venue placement has been associated with significant impacts on population health and wellbeing, specifically for priority populations and disadvantaged members of the community. The brief describes two theories of how gambling venues affect local problem gambling rates, and summarizes recent research on the density of gambling venues in socially disadvantaged areas, and how casino development affects local crime rates.
