Online Gambling is an activity where people play casino games or bet on sports events via the Internet. It is becoming more popular and can be a great source of entertainment, but there are also some risks associated with it. In addition to the financial risk, gamblers can experience emotional stress and social isolation. They can also become addicted to gambling and start spending more money than they have. This can lead to financial difficulties and even debt. Moreover, it can affect their quality of life as they may lose interest in other activities.
This article aims to provide an overview of the existing literature on the risks and protective factors of online gambling. To this end, we reviewed articles published between 2010 and 2020 according to the PICO criteria (Population Intervention Comparison Outcome).
The majority of studies investigated demographic variables. However, the sample size of most studies was too small to make conclusions about specific groups. Furthermore, most of the studies were cross-sectional, while longitudinal studies would be more informative.
Regarding the risk factors, the most widely studied factor is impulsivity. A significant number of studies indicate that high impulsivity is associated with problematic online gambling. In contrast, low impulsivity is associated with non-problematic gambling. Other variables, such as the use of social media, are not well explored. Finally, the most common protective factor is family support and social networks. In addition, the majority of studies report that males have a greater likelihood to engage in online gambling than females.
