New Zealand's Health Ministry says its new study, called Raising the Odds?, finds that people become more likely to develop a gambling problem the closer they live to a casino or other gambling facility.
"These findings suggest that policies aimed at preventing and minimizing gambling-related harm could focus on environmental modifications which increase people's distance to gambling venues," according to the study.
The ministry therefore advises that city councils should consider limiting the number of gambling venues in an area or reducing the dispersal of gambling venues throughout a region.
The study was based on more than 12,000 respondents to the 2002-03 New Zealand Health Survey.