The Risks and Protective Factors of Online Gambling

Online Gambling is a form of gambling wherein users place bets through websites. They can choose from a variety of games like soccer betting and video slots to place bets. In order to place a bet, players must have an internet connection and a computer or mobile phone. This type of gambling is regulated in most countries and states. The United States is one of the few nations that does not regulate Online Gambling.

To investigate knowledge about risk and protective factors of online gambling, a literature search was conducted in three different academic databases: PubMed, PsychInfo and Scopus. A similar syntax was launched, limited to peer-reviewed articles, and keywords were used to identify relevant publications: “gambling” combined with “online, internet, interactive”, and “risk factors, protective factors, predictors, correlates”.

Although the majority of risk and protective factors seem to be identical for offline and online gambling, there are some specific aspects that may require special attention in prevention interventions for online gambling. The most significant of these is the association between online gambling and a high level of personal vulnerability (high levels of impulsivity and dysfunctional personality). Other specificity concerns motivations for gambling, where studies have found that social motives are more associated with offline and nonproblematic gamblers than with online and problem gamblers, while coping and pleasure motives are more likely to be related to online and pathological gambling.

Despite being a profitable business for the casino, Online Gambling is also a very dangerous activity for many people. This is why the best casinos take responsible gaming seriously and offer a variety of tools to help you stay in control. These include account limits, timeouts and self-exclusion periods. In addition, most of the reputable casinos will have a GamCare assessment tool where you can ask questions and get a personalised report about your gambling behaviour.