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. 2017 Jun;33(2):397-424.
doi: 10.1007/s10899-016-9627-5.

Prevalence of Adolescent Problem Gambling: A Systematic Review of Recent Research

Filipa Calado  1 , Joana Alexandre  2 , Mark D Griffiths  3
Affiliations

Prevalence of Adolescent Problem Gambling: A Systematic Review of Recent Research

Filipa Calado et al. J Gambl Stud. 2017 Jun.

Abstract

Previous research has shown that gambling is a popular activity among adolescents. Following a rapid expansion of legalized gambling opportunities and the emergence of new forms of gambling, many researchers have carried out studies on adolescent gambling and problem gambling. The present paper reviews studies that have been conducted worldwide since 2000, and then presents a more detailed picture of adolescent gambling research in Europe, by providing a country-by country analysis. After an extensive search on academic databases and following an exclusion process, 44 studies were identified. The findings showed that 0.2-12.3 % of youth meet criteria for problem gambling, notwithstanding differences among assessment instruments, cut-offs, and timeframes. However, despite this variability, several demographic characteristics were associated with adolescent gambling involvement and problem gambling. It is concluded that a small but significant minority of adolescents have gambling-related problems. Such findings will hopefully encourage more research into youth gambling to further understand the determinants of this phenomenon.

Keywords: Adolescence; Adolescent gambling; Gambling; Gambling prevalence; Problem gambling; Youth gambling.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

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