Online gambling is the activity of placing bets on various events via the internet, ranging from casinos and sports betting to esports. It’s estimated to be a $9.5 billion per year industry and is growing. But gambling can be addictive and lead to problems in many areas of life – including finances, relationships and mental health. It can also have lasting impacts on family and community well-being.
While the proliferation of mobile devices has increased opportunities to gamble, desktops and laptops are still important routes to online gambling sites. A large proportion of those who play online are young people, and the growth of esports gambling has been especially dramatic. Many factors drive uptake, such as advertising, sponsorship or colocation of gambling products with popular sporting leagues, and aggressive promotion through social media and online platforms. The availability of high-intensity gambling products, such as EGMs and esports betting, further increases the risk of harm.
A number of research studies have examined the risk and protective factors associated with online gambling, using a variety of methodologies. The majority of papers use nonrepresentative samples, and the comparisons between online and offline gambling and between problematic and nonproblematic gambling are based on cross-sectional data. Some interesting findings emerge, such as Gainsbury et al.’s (2014) claim that online gamblers are more likely to experience psychological distress, and Goldstein et al. (2016)’s report that online gamblers are more negatively impacted by their gambling activities than those who do not gamble.
