Risks and Protective Factors of Online Gambling in Adult Populations
Online Gambling is the activity of playing games, betting and placing bets using electronic devices such as computers and smartphones. It’s a popular pastime that can lead to addictive behaviour and serious financial problems.
Unlike traditional gambling, the Internet allows players to gamble in real-time and at any time of day from any location with an internet connection. In addition, the internet offers a variety of payment methods that make online gambling more convenient for players. This has made it an increasingly popular form of entertainment for people from around the world.
The emergence of online casinos has given rise to intense competition amongst gambling operators, which is reflected in the rapid growth of the industry. In order to compete, online casinos must comply with a wide range of standards and regulations. This includes the ability to provide a fair and safe environment, as well as compliance with gaming laws. This is a critical factor for establishing a successful online casino, as it will protect the interests of the players and the industry.
The purpose of this article is to review and synthesize existing knowledge about the risk and protective factors associated with online gambling in adult populations. Several critical issues emerge from this review. First, most studies use nonrepresentative samples. Second, most studies are cross-sectional, whereas longitudinal studies would be valuable to establish more concrete causal relationships. Finally, the relationship between variables is often poorly investigated. Nonetheless, a number of interesting findings are highlighted. For example, relational variables appear to influence the choice of gambling modality; for instance, low quantity and quality of family relationships increases the likelihood that an individual will be an online gambler and develop a problem mode of gambling (Mihaylova et al., 2013).