Search Results (12)

Background: Gambling disorder is an emerging problem among young adults and must be researched to provide the necessary support. This study aims to characterise gambling disorders in Porto’s university students. Methods: A cross-sectional study distributed an online questionnaire to Porto’s university students. The authors developed a self-administered questionnaire that included the South Oaks Gambling Screen questionnaire—Portuguese Version (SOGS-PV). Results: A total of 1123 responses were included. The participants’ average age was 22.4 years (SD = 6.2), and 60.9% were women. Gambling activities were performed by 66.4% of the students, most commonly online or video games, “scratch card” games, skill games, lotteries, and sports bets. The final scores of the SOGS-PV suggested 19.7% (95% CI: 17.4–22.0) of students may have a gambling disorder, with 16.6% (95% CI: 14.4–18.8) being “probable pathological gamblers” and 3.1% (95% CI: 2.1–4.1) being “problem gamblers”. Gambling in the stocks/commodities market/virtual coins, sports bets, playing cards for money, and the numbers or betting on lotteries presents a higher risk of gambling disorder. The age (OR: 0.953; 95% CI: 0.922–0.986), being male (OR: 2.756; 95% CI: 1.899–4.000), the highest daily gambling amount (OR: 3.938; 95% CI: 2.580–6.012), the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic (OR: 0.129; 95% CI: 0.087–0.191), a mother with gambling disorder (OR: 5.284; 95% CI: 1.038–26.902), the personal services education area (OR: 2.858; 95% CI: 1.179–6.929), and the linguistics education area (OR: 2.984; 95% CI: 1.538–5.788) stand out as contributing factors to the development of this disorder. Conclusions: This study reveals a high level of possible gambling disorder among university students and emphasises the importance of this problem in the academic community. Physician awareness and prevention programmes are needed in this population. Full article

A large literature in behavioral finance explores how gambling sentiments influences trading in stocks. This paper considers the reverse phenomena; the impact of financial market outcomes on aggregate gambling expenditures. We expect the wealth effect of higher realized stock returns will increase gambling (entertainment good). Similarly, we expect rising volatility will attract gamblers to equity markets seeking thrill and skewed payouts. Utilizing novel horse wagering data (1934–2020), we study the impact of these forces on gambling expenditures. Using corporate bond spreads as a proxy for business cycles, we find that, in addition to financial market outcomes, price of wagering, incomes, and availability of competing betting products are important drivers of gambling. We also find that, ceteris paribus, gambling rises during recessions. Our findings will be of interest to policy makers and the finance industry, particularly as day trading, sports betting, online casinos, and other gambling gains broad public acceptance. Full article

Gambling and sports are entangled in a close relationship. However, little remains known about gambling behaviors and perceptions in sports. Drawing on normalization theory, this study explores the prevalence and predictors of problem gambling as well as the normalization of gambling (including its availability and accessibility, prevalence, and socio-cultural accommodation) in sports clubs. A cross-sectional study design was implemented, based on an online survey completed by 817 Belgian sports club actors. This survey consisted of the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) and questions about personal and socio-cultural factors regarding gambling. Data were analyzed with SPSS 26 software, using descriptive statistics and an ordinal logistic regression analysis. These analyses exposed being male, being aged 26–35 years old, and being involved in football (soccer) as factors that might be linked with higher levels of problem gambling in sports. Furthermore, sports betting is especially shown to be normalized in sports clubs given its prevalence, and its frequently organized and discussed character. Moreover, respondents disclosed a lack of formal rules (96%) and education initiatives (98.7%) on gambling in their sports club. Given the indicated support for gambling regulations and educational measures, this study may inform sports organizations about how to help denormalize gambling. Full article

Gambling has become a routine form of entertainment for many young people. The aim of this study was to describe the gambling behavior that university students are developing in Aragon, Spain, and to analyze whether these habits are more common among students of sports science, on the assumption that they are more likely to have a higher exposure to betting company marketing. A cross-sectional design was applied, with data collected on advertising exposure, gambling habits and experiences, and opinions on the impact of gambling and its regulation from 516 undergraduate students from the University of Zaragoza. The online survey included ad hoc questions and the “Pathological Gambling Short Questionnaire” to screen for potential gambling disorders. Almost half of the sample had bet money at least once in their life (48.1%), and 2.4% screened positive for consideration of a possible diagnosis of pathological gambling. Betting shops (44.2%) were the most common gambling option, and students of sports science showed a higher prevalence of pathological gambling and had greater tendencies to make bets. Gambling is perceived as a normal leisure activity by a significant part of university students. The development of transversal strategies is required to raise awareness towards the potential dangers of gambling. Full article

During the first UK national COVID-19 lockdown, there were fears that increased online gaming and gambling could negatively impact wellbeing. Using a cross-sectional retrospective change survey of 631 UK adult gamers and/or gamblers during the week the UK lockdown was partially lifted (June 2020), we investigated participation in gaming/gambling and relationships with problem gaming, problem gambling and wellbeing (using the following previously validated scales: the Internet Gaming Disorder Short Form; a short-form version of the Problem Gambling Severity Index; a short-form of the Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale). Results indicated a near-doubling in gaming activity during lockdown and significant increases in problem gaming scores, but not in numbers of disordered gamers. Aggregate changes to gambling participation and problem gambling were negligible: decreases in offline and sports gambling were balanced by increases in online gambling. Wellbeing scores decreased during lockdown across the sample, particularly amongst women, and path analysis revealed moderate correlations between increases in problem gaming and gambling scores and reductions in wellbeing. We conclude that for some, maladaptive gaming/gambling coping strategies during the lockdown may have exacerbated its negative effects. Full article

This research analyzes young people’s perception of the presence of tipsters as influencers on online sports gambling and whether their presence can promote addiction to this activity. To achieve this goal, we designed a questionnaire that was administered to young people in public universities in Madrid, being answered by 1032 individuals, out of whom 613 claimed to be regular bettors. We proceeded to the factor analysis of the variables with a high or very high correlation, and results showed that young people perceive a clear relationship between gambling and addiction. An even more enlightening aspect is the result that links tipsters with addiction to online sports gambling; young people’s perception correlates both concepts with extraordinary strength. This study’s main conclusion makes it clear that there is a huge amount of influence of tipsters on the world of online sports betting, as well as the risk of marrying these two concepts, since young people perceive that either they or others could be initiated into the world of problem gambling. Full article

Ever since the worldwide demand for gambling services started to spread, its expansion has continued steadily. To wit, online gambling is a major industry in every European country, generating billions of Euros in revenue for commercial actors and governments alike. Despite such evidently beneficial effects, online gambling is ultimately a vast social experiment with potentially disastrous social and personal consequences that could result in an overall deterioration of social and familial relationships. Despite the relevance of this problem in society, there is a lack of tools for characterizing the behavior of online gamblers based on the data that are collected daily by betting platforms. This paper uses a time series clustering algorithm that can help decision-makers in identifying behaviors associated with potential pathological gamblers. In particular, experimental results obtained by analyzing sports event bets and black jack data demonstrate the suitability of the proposed method in detecting critical (i.e., pathological) players. This algorithm is the first component of a system developed in collaboration with the Portuguese authority for the control of betting activities. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed everyday life, and policy makers have raised concerns about possible changes in gambling patterns during the pandemic. This study aimed to examine whether self-reported gambling has increased during the pandemic, and to examine potential correlates of such a change. This general population survey study in Sweden collected self-report data from 2016 web survey members (51 percent men, nine percent moderate-risk/problem gamblers). Correlates of increased gambling and increased gambling specifically due to COVID-19-related cancellation of sports were calculated. Four percent reported an overall gambling increase during the pandemic. The proportion of individuals reporting an increase, compared to individuals reporting a decrease, was markedly higher for online casinos (0.62), online horse betting (0.76) and online lotteries (0.73), and lower for sports betting (0.11). Overall, gambling increases were independently associated with gambling problems and increased alcohol consumption. In the sub-group, where there was an increase in specific gambling types in response to cancelled sports betting events, rates of gambling problems were high. In conclusion, only a minority report increased gambling in response to the pandemic, but this group has markedly higher gambling problems and changes in alcohol consumption, and may represent a sub-group with a particularly high vulnerability. This calls for preventive action in people with higher gambling risks in response to the pandemic. Full article

The world of sports has a complex association to problem gambling, and the sparse research examining problem gambling in athletes has suggested an increased prevalence and particularly high male predominance. The present study aimed to study frequency and correlates of problem gambling in populations with moderate to high involvement in fitness or physical exercise. This is a self-selective online survey focusing on addictive behaviors in physical exercise distributed by ‘fitness influencers’ on social media and other online fitness forums to their followers. Respondents were included if they reported exercise at least thrice weekly, were above 15 years of age, and provided informed consent (N = 3088). Problem gambling, measured with the Lie/Bet, was studied in association with demographic data, substance use, and mental health variables. The occurrence of lifetime problem gambling was 8 percent (12 percent in men, one percent in women). In logistic regression, problem gambling was associated with male gender, younger age, risky alcohol drinking, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and less frequent exercise habits. In conclusion, in this self-recruited population with moderate to high fitness involvement, problem gambling was moderately elevated. As shown previously in elite athletes, the male predominance was larger than in the general population. The findings strengthen the link between problem gambling and the world of sports. Full article

This study estimated the levels of involvement in e-gambling and problem e-gambling in Poland and identified selected sociodemographic variables associated with e-gambling activities. The study was conducted using a representative sample of the adult inhabitants of Poland (n = 2000). The survey contained questions measuring three aspects of gambling (involvement in e-gambling, types of e-gambling activity, and problematic e-gambling). Results suggested that 4.1% of respondents were involved in e-gambling and 26.8% of them could be classified as problem gamblers. The most popular e-gambling games were lotteries and sports betting. Gender, age, size of city of residence, level of education, and income were identified as significant predictors of involvement in e-gambling. The results indicated that men, younger people, and people who earnt less were more often involved in e-gambling. Having children, playing online scratch cards, and online sport betting—but not online lotteries—turned out to be typical for problem online gamblers. The prevalence of problem gambling among Polish e-gamblers suggests that extended research in this area is needed. Full article

Gambling disorder is of great clinical and social relevance since it seriously affects people who suffer from it. More recently, the Internet has exacerbated the problem with online casinos, poker, and sports betting. However, there is little evidence of this problem, and we know of no diagnostic questionnaire. The main objectives of this study were to develop the Online Gambling Disorder Questionnaire (OGD-Q) for adolescents, evaluate its main psychometric properties, and establish diagnostic criteria to differentiate pathological from non-pathological online gamblers. We conducted a study in 16 schools across seven regions of Spain, sampling 2691 adolescents, 883 of whom had reported some online gambling experience. Of those, 602 were boys (68.2%) and 281 were girls (31.8%) Sampling was non-probabilistic and incidental. Mean age and standard deviation were 14.25 ± 1.55 (11–19 years). Confirmatory factor analysis yielded a one-dimensional model with a good fit. The reliability indicators were satisfactory (>0.94). The scores on the OGD-Q were related to other constructs, such as Internet gaming disorder, problematic Internet use, and nomophobia. Participants classified as having problems or being at risk of online gambling disorder presented significantly more stress, anxiety, and depression. Participants categorized as having online gambling disorder comprised 0.89% (n = 24) of the total sample and 2.71% of those who have gambled at some time. We discuss these findings and their practical implications in this article and propose future lines of research. Full article

The purpose of this study is to analyze the differences in psychological characteristics (i.e., irrational beliefs) and social adaptation according to a participant’s level of addiction to online sports gambling (i.e., non-problem, low-risk, moderate-risk, and high-risk gamblers). A survey was completed by participants of online sports gambling, aged 19 years or older; 291 completed questionnaires were obtained and analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). As results of this study, according to the level of addiction to online sports gambling, there were significant differences on people’s mental state and social adaptation. Specifically, the more people are attached to a group that is exposed to high gambling addiction risk, the more they tend to become irrational while gambling, adopt an overconfident viewpoint, and overestimate their techniques. Moreover, as addiction to online sports gambling worsens, adaptation problems begin to appear in their work and family lives. This study demonstrated that people who are addicted to online sports gambling tend to find difficulties in thinking reasonably and logically and struggle to lead normal lives. By raising awareness on online sports gambling addiction, this study could suggest a way out of the difficulty. Full article