Online gambling is the use of internet-enabled devices to place bets or receive bets online. It includes a variety of wagering activities including casinos, sports betting, virtual poker, and lottery games. The popularity of these games has grown rapidly.
Internet gambling is facilitated by technological advances such as high-speed internet connections. It also offers users the convenience of being able to gamble at home. However, it is not without its risks. Various studies have found links between Internet gambling and gambling problems.
One of the main questions for researchers is whether the increase in accessibility and availability of internet gambling is related to the increase in disordered gambling. In the current paper, we aim to give an overview of the research on this subject to date. We also highlight some interesting findings that may be of interest to Internet users.
A recent study by LaPlante and colleagues suggests that some types of problem gambling on the Internet are linked to specific gambling formats. They analyzed data from the 2007 British Gambling Prevalence Study. They discovered that Internet users who reported having problem gambling were more likely to engage in Internet modes of gaming than non-problem Internet users.
Another research project compared the prevalence of gambling problems in relation to the number of gambling activities that the individuals involved in had engaged in during the previous 12 months. These studies were cross-sectional, and results are reliant on the accuracy of self-reporting.