Online Gambling is an estimated $9.5 billion per year business and a popular pastime for millions of people, but it can be dangerous if not done responsibly. Like other addictions, gambling can lead to financial problems, emotional stress, social isolation and decline in work or school performance, health issues, and legal difficulties. The American Psychiatric Association classifies it as a mental health disorder.
The high level of accessibility that internet gambling offers, combined with psychological strategies such as visual and auditory stimulation, intermittent reinforcement schedules, and surprise rewards can contribute to addictiveness. Additionally, the anonymous nature of internet gambling can make it more difficult to recognise and address problem behaviour.
While the use of mobile devices to gamble has grown significantly in recent years, they are still only used by a relatively small proportion of those who play. The popularity of smart TVs to access gambling has also grown over the past few years, but they remain a niche way of doing so. This may be due to the fact that many are now being used in combination with other devices such as laptops, tablets and computers to create a ‘gambling ecosystem’.
It is not surprising that fewer people report having gambled at work (down 4 percentage points in 2020) or while commuting (down 2 percentage points). This could be partly explained by the fact that the survey was carried out during periods of heavy restrictions and lockdowns. However, this does suggest that a significant number of people are continuing to gamble on a regular basis despite the limitations imposed.