Yokotani Kenji, Abe Nobuhito, Yamamoto Tetsuya, Takamura Masahiro, Takahashi Hideyuki
Graduate School of Technology, Industrial and Social Sciences, Tokushima University, 1-1, Minamijosanjimacho, Tokushima City, Tokushima, 770-0814, Japan.
Institute for the Future of Human Society, Kyoto University, Kyoto City, Japan.
BMC Public Health. 2024 Jul 16;24(1):1905. doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-19373-1.
Electronic gambling machines (EGMs) in gambling venues cause gambling-related harm and are a public health concern. This study focused on pachinko parlours as gambling venues and income-generating crimes as gambling-related harm. We aimed to verify whether income-generating crime rates increase in proximity to pachinko parlours and during the opening and post-closing periods of pachinko parlours relative to the pre-opening periods.
We used crime records spanning 6.5 years, including data on the opening and closing days of pachinko parlours for 6.5 years. We also sampled the addresses of convenience stores, bowling alleys, and households with official land prices all over Japan. The dependent variable was the daily income-generating crime incidence rate. Areas within 0.5 km, 0.5-1 km, 1-5 km, and 5-10 km radii of the pachinko parlours were the independent variables. The pre-, opening-, and post-closing periods of the pachinko parlours were also independent variables. The covariates included the number of convenience stores and always open pachinko parlours near pachinko parlours. Data were analysed using an analysis of variance (ANOVA) and covariance (ANCOVA). We also used differences-in-differences analysis (DD) to reveal the increase in income-generating crime rates in neighbourhoods exposed to the opening or closing of pachinko parlours.
The daily income-generating crime incidence rate was significantly higher in areas within 0.5-1 km and 1-5 km radii of pachinko parlours than in those within 0.5 km and 5-10 km radii of them. The daily income-generating crime incidence rate was also significantly higher during the opening and post-closing periods than during the pre-opening period, even when controlling for the number of convenience stores and always open pachinko parlours. In particular, fraud crime rates increased with the opening and closing of pachinko parlours.
The highest income-generating crime incidence rate was observed within a 0.5-1 km and 1-5 km radius of pachinko parlours. The opening of pachinko parlours also increased income-generating crime incidence rates, which increased after closing. Pachinko parlours are considered to be creating public harm because the corporate activities of these parlours make the youth in their neighbourhood perpetrators of fraud and older adults its victims. Future research should examine the current findings using official crime records.
赌场中的电子赌博机（EGM）会造成与赌博相关的危害，是一个公共卫生问题。本研究聚焦弹珠机店作为赌博场所，以及创收犯罪作为与赌博相关的危害。我们旨在验证在弹珠机店附近以及相对于开业前时期，弹珠机店开业期间和停业后时期创收犯罪率是否会上升。
我们使用了跨越6.5年的犯罪记录，包括6.5年中弹珠机店的开业和停业日期数据。我们还对日本各地便利店、保龄球馆以及有官方地价的家庭住址进行了抽样。因变量是每日创收犯罪发生率。弹珠机店半径0.5公里、0.5 - 1公里、1 - 5公里和5 - 10公里范围内的区域为自变量。弹珠机店的开业前、开业和停业后时期也是自变量。协变量包括弹珠机店附近便利店的数量和一直营业的弹珠机店数量。数据采用方差分析（ANOVA）和协方差分析（ANCOVA）进行分析。我们还使用了差分分析（DD）来揭示受弹珠机店开业或停业影响的社区中创收犯罪率的上升情况。
弹珠机店半径0.5 - 1公里和1 - 5公里范围内区域的每日创收犯罪发生率显著高于半径0.5公里和5 - 10公里范围内的区域。即使在控制了便利店数量和一直营业的弹珠机店数量后，开业期间和停业后时期的每日创收犯罪发生率也显著高于开业前时期。特别是，欺诈犯罪率随着弹珠机店的开业和停业而上升。
在弹珠机店半径0.5 - 1公里和1 - 5公里范围内观察到最高的创收犯罪发生率。弹珠机店的开业也增加了创收犯罪发生率，停业后发生率上升。弹珠机店被认为正在造成公共危害，因为这些店铺的企业活动使附近的年轻人成为欺诈犯罪的实施者，而老年人成为受害者。未来的研究应该使用官方犯罪记录来检验当前的研究结果。
