What is Online Gambling?

Online Gambling is an activity where real money is used to place bets on games of chance via a computer or mobile device. People can gamble on sports, poker, blackjack, roulette, baccarat and more. The gambling industry is regulated in some countries, while in others it remains unregulated.

Problem gambling can cause significant harms including financial stress, relationship breakdown, mental illness and suicide. These impacts can last a lifetime and can affect the well-being of those around the gambler, particularly children and young adults. Harms from gambling can also include decline in work or school performance, legal problems (like theft and fraud) and poor physical health.

Research has shown that factors that increase the risk of gambling harm include: 1) low socioeconomic status; 2) increased use of gambling products; 3) continued gambling despite negative consequences; and 4) high levels of advertising or promotion of gambling products. These factors can be exacerbated by the normalization of gambling through sponsorship or colocation with popular sporting events, aggressive promotion in social media and general marketing strategies. Additionally, the design features of gambling products can nudge users toward extended consumption through “dark nudges” that exploit cognitive biases.

A variety of public and private interventions are needed to prevent and reduce gambling harm. This includes ending advertising and promotions, requiring centralized account registration to require those who gamble to set binding loss limits, and restrictions on access and availability (opening hours, density). Additionally, tools such as universal pre-commitment (requiring people to commit to self-limiting their gambling time and money) and universal self-exclusion are effective in helping people to control their gambling behavior.