Online Gambling is a form of gambling that involves placing wagers on games, races or events. It can be accessed through the internet and is available in many countries around the world. The practice has become widespread and can result in a range of problems for people with an addiction. These include financial issues, emotional stress, poor performance at work or school, relationship conflicts and health problems. In addition, online gambling can lead to social isolation and a decline in overall quality of life.
There are several treatment options for online gambling addiction, including therapy and medication. Therapy aims to teach people healthier ways of handling their emotions. This can help them make better decisions and avoid relapsing. Some therapies are cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which helps people recognize faulty thoughts, such as thinking they’re due to win after a loss, and learn tools to reframe those negative beliefs, and motivational interviewing, which helps individuals examine their ambivalence about changing their behavior.
Personality traits can also elevate the risk of an online gambling addiction. A 2023 study published in Frontiers in Psychology found that people with high levels of neuroticism and low levels of conscientiousness, meaning they’re not very organized or self-controlled, were more likely to develop a gambling problem. However, further research is needed to determine whether these personality characteristics are only a risk factor and do not cause the gambling disorder in themselves. This will require research on different gaming platforms, and longitudinal data on different players’ accounts.
