Online Gambling is a phenomenon that has been spreading fast in recent decades. Its intrinsic characteristics (accessibility, anonymity, variety of games) make it particularly attractive to players. However, it also blurs the boundaries of legitimacy. It’s therefore important to know whether gambling on the internet is legal.
This article examines the current state of knowledge regarding risk and protective factors in relation to online gambling among adult populations. To achieve this, a systematic literature search was conducted in the PubMed, PsychInfo and Scopus databases using analogous syntaxes, limited to peer-reviewed publications. A total of 42 papers were eligible, analysing both risk and protective factors at different levels: individual, relational, and contextual. Comparisons between online gamblers and offline gamblers and between online nonproblematic and problematic gamblers were also analysed.
The results show that the use of alcohol and drugs during online gambling is associated with problem gambling patterns, whereas a low level of family dysfunction is a protective factor. In addition, the first gambling experience is reported to be earlier in online than offline gamblers.
Other risks of online gambling include fraud and money laundering. Fraudsters have been known to abuse phone top-up systems, stealing money directly from unsuspecting users, and to target online casinos by phishing and social engineering. This can lead to high chargeback rates and damage the relationship with payment processors, limiting players’ deposit options. Combating these types of activities requires a great deal of time, resources and expertise.