About Online Gambling
The rapid growth of Internet gambling has brought many different forms of gaming right into homes and offices around the world. While most of these activities remain legal, the ubiquity and ease of access has made it hard for governments to regulate or control them. Federal laws like the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) continue to impact financial transactions, but individual states have more flexibility when it comes to licensing, operational compliance and permissible types of gambling.
Despite the growth of the industry, many people are not aware of the risks and consequences of online gambling. Among the most significant risks is that it can lead to financial ruin, with individuals spending more than they can afford and accumulating massive debts. This can lead to emotional distress, isolation, and family conflict. In addition, online gambling can be addictive, and it is important to recognize the warning signs of problem gambling to seek help before things escalate.
To explore what factors influence people’s gambling habits, the authors performed a literature review of peer-reviewed articles published between 2010 and 2020. The search terms were based on the PsychInfo database syntax and included the keywords “online, internet, interactive” and “gambling, risk factors, protective factors, predictors, correlates”. A total of 291 studies were selected and analyzed. Scarce attention was given to relational and contextual factors such as having rare and negative relationships or being in life contexts such as academia, although results from some of these articles suggest that these factors could increase the likelihood of being an internet gambler.
