Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2015;2(2):185-193.
doi: 10.1007/s40429-015-0057-8. Epub 2015 Apr 11.

Online Gambling Addiction: the Relationship Between Internet Gambling and Disordered Gambling

Sally M Gainsbury  1
Affiliations
Review

Online Gambling Addiction: the Relationship Between Internet Gambling and Disordered Gambling

Sally M Gainsbury. Curr Addict Rep. 2015.

Abstract

One of the most significant changes to the gambling environment in the past 15 years has been the increased availability of Internet gambling, including mobile; Internet gambling is the fastest growing mode of gambling and is changing the way that gamblers engage with this activity. Due to the high level of accessibility, immersive interface and ease at which money can be spent, concerns have been expressed that Internet gambling may increase rates of disordered gambling. The current paper aimed to provide an overview of the research to date as well as highlight new and interesting findings relevant to Internet gambling addiction. A comprehensive review of the existing literature was conducted to provide an overview of significant trends and developments in research that relates to disordered Internet gambling. This paper presents research to inform a greater understanding of adult participation in Internet gambling, features of this interface that may impact problem severity, the relationship between Internet gambling and related problems, as well as considering the role of the wider spectrum of gambling behaviour and relevant individual factors that moderate this relationship.

Keywords: Addiction; Causation; Determinants; Disordered gambling; Gambling harm; Interactive gambling; Internet gambling; Mental health; Online gambling; Problem gambling; Protective factors; Risk factors.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Gainsbury S, Wood R. Internet gambling policy in critical comparative perspective: the effectiveness of existing regulatory frameworks. Int Gambl Stud. 2011;11:309–323. doi: 10.1080/14459795.2011.619553. - DOI
    1. Monaghan S. Responsible gambling strategies for Internet gambling: the theoretical and empirical base of using pop-up messages to encourage self-awareness. Comput Hum Behav. 2009;25(1):202–207. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2008.08.008. - DOI
    1. American Psychiatric Association. DSM 5. American Psychiatric Association; 2013.
    1. Dowling NA. Issues raised by the DSM-5 internet gaming disorder classification and proposed diagnostic criteria. Addiction. 2014;109(9):1408–9. doi: 10.1111/add.12554. - DOI - PubMed
    1. H2 Gambling Capital. The online gambling market. Reported by Bwin.party digitial entertainment; 2014. Available from: https://www.bwinparty.com/AboutUs/OurMarkets/The%20online%20gaming%20mar...

LinkOut - more resources