Online Gambling is a type of gambling where people can place bets on sporting events, casino games and more using a computer or mobile phone. It is illegal in some countries but has become increasingly popular, and it can lead to financial problems if people aren’t careful. In addition, it can have negative mental health effects. People who are addicted to online gambling can develop a range of symptoms. Some of these include anxiety, which can cause a person to withdraw from social activities and isolate themselves. Others experience depression, which can result in self-destructive behaviors such as gambling.
A recent study found that 5-15% of adolescents engage in online gambling, but the number varies by country. Unlike offline gambling, online gambling is easily accessible and can be done at any time of the day or night. This accessibility increases the risk of gambling addiction, especially in individuals with low socioeconomic status and other vulnerabilities. It can also increase the likelihood of pathological gambling, which is characterized by escalation of betting amounts and chasing losses.
The present article provides a synthesis of knowledge about risk and protective factors for online gambling in adult populations. A search for relevant articles was conducted in three academic databases: PubMed, PsychInfo and Scopus. Two critical elements emerge from the analysis: most of the studies employ nonrepresentative samples, and they do not compare online nonproblematic gamblers with online problem gamblers. This makes it difficult to establish a causal link between variables and make suggestions for future research.