Online Gambling is betting or playing games of chance or skill for money using a computer, tablet, smartphone or other device with an internet connection. It is available in many countries around the world, and has gained rapid popularity in recent decades, driven by the accessibility of internet access and the convenience of gambling. This development has led to a rapid expansion of different gambling activities, with some jurisdictions restricting or banning them, but others embracing and regulating them.
A literature search in the PubMed, PsychInfo and Scopus databases was conducted for articles reporting knowledge about risk factors and protective factors for online gambling. Risk and protective factors were analysed at three levels of analysis: individual, relational and contextual.
Individual-level findings indicate that the choice of a gambling modality is influenced by personal traits and the quality and quantity of relationships. Moreover, the onset of gambling behaviours appears to be earlier for online than offline gamblers (Wu et al., 2015). At the relational level, one study reported that the presence of family members who are gamblers is a risk factor for internet gambling (Mihaylova et al., 2013).
In addition to prevention interventions, which are the most cost-effective strategy for minimizing gambling-related harm, it is important to support people who wish to stop or reduce their gambling activities. For this purpose, tools such as universal pre-commitment and self-exclusion are recommended. The latter has proven to be especially effective, while voluntary systems have poor uptake and can lead to relapses.