High rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) have been reported in people with gambling disorders. Economic abuse is a form of IPV in which the person with a gambling disorder controls and exploits family finances as well as their partner’s finances. The researchers interviewed 26 women who experienced IPV due to a male partner’s gambling. They identified that the IPV perpetrated by men with gambling disorders was often instrumental in nature. Specifically, men with gambling disorders used coercive and controlling behaviours in three main ways. The first was to access money for gambling. The second was to hide gambling behaviour from others. The third was to justify gambling and abusive behaviours and shift the blame onto their female partners.
