Online Gambling is an increasingly popular way to place bets on sports, casino games, lottery and other events. Its popularity has grown dramatically over the past two decades, and it now accounts for an estimated $9.5 billion a year in revenue. But like other forms of gambling, it can lead to problems for many people, including addiction and even mental health disorders. Moreover, the fact that it is done at home or on a mobile phone means it can be done almost anywhere.
To investigate the current state of knowledge of risk and protective factors for online gambling, a systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed and PsychInfo, using analogous syntaxes. Eligible articles met the PICO criteria (P: population, I: intervention, C: comparison, O: outcome) and were limited to studies published in English between 2010 and 2020. A total of 42 articles were included. The data from the articles were analysed cross-sectionally and analyzed at three levels of analysis: individual, relational and contextual. Comparisons were made between online and offline gamblers and between online nonproblematic and problematic gamblers.
Real money online gambling is legal in some US states, as well as many countries around the world. But the rules and regulations vary wildly, from country to country. And players should always check the legitimacy of a casino before depositing money. The best way to do that is to check the casino’s license from a reliable body, such as the Isle of Man, Malta, Gibraltar or Kahnawake.
