Online Gambling involves gambling over the Internet, through websites and apps. It can include casino games, sports betting, poker, fantasy sports and lotteries. While online gambling can be fun, it can also lead to serious gambling-related problems. Online gambling has become a multibillion-dollar industry with varying degrees of regulation.
People may experience a number of problems related to online gambling, including financial distress, emotional stress, social isolation and health issues. Financial distress can result in a decline in work or school performance, missed bills, credit problems and bankruptcy. Emotional stress can cause depression, anxiety and feelings of inadequacy. Social isolation can cause people to withdraw from friends and family and focus on gambling alone. Health issues can include insomnia, headaches and high blood pressure. Some individuals may engage in illegal activities, such as theft or fraud, to fund their gambling habits, which can lead to legal trouble and further stress.
There are a variety of treatment options for gambling-related problems, including therapy and support groups like Gamblers Anonymous. Identifying the underlying causes of gambling behavior can help a person overcome their urges. In addition to these treatments, individuals can use self-exclusion programs to limit their access to online casinos and other gambling sites.
Efforts to prevent and address gambling-related problems have largely focused on identifying early risk indicators. However, these efforts have been hampered by lack of access to player data, and by the reliance on operators to initiate action on identified risks. Further work is required to develop and test methods of identifying and detecting gambling-related problems in real time, using data from different types of gaming accounts and with greater diversity in game-specific characteristics.
