The Convenience of Online Gambling
Online Gambling involves gambling on games and/or sports via a digital platform. This may include betting exchanges, online casinos and video slots.
While the convenience of Online Gambling makes it a popular activity, it can have negative financial and emotional consequences for individuals. The ease of access can lead to impulsive and uninhibited betting, which increases the risk of significant financial losses. Additionally, the lack of face-to-face accountability can make it easier for individuals to hide their gambling activities from others. The risks are further compounded by the potential for in-game and in-app purchases to add to gambling expenditures, as well as unregulated platforms that may have unfair odds or rigged games.
People can access Online Gambling through a range of devices, including smartphones, PCs and tablets. Despite this flexibility, a large proportion of people still gamble primarily at home. However, a fifth of online gamblers have used their phones outside the house, and there has been an increase in people using their computers to gamble. These trends have mainly been driven by younger adults, with those aged 18-24 showing the highest levels of outside-home gambling. This is largely due to the proliferation of esports, which tends to be a more mobile form of gambling. The proportion of people who have multiple gambling accounts has also risen, with the average number of accounts held being 3.2%, up from 2.7% in 2020. Males are more likely to have multiple accounts than females, and the majority of gamblers hold only three or more online accounts.