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
. 2023 Jun;39(2):483-511.
doi: 10.1007/s10899-023-10195-1. Epub 2023 Mar 8.

Risk Factors for Gambling Disorder: A Systematic Review

Affiliations

Risk Factors for Gambling Disorder: A Systematic Review

Diana Moreira et al. J Gambl Stud. 2023 Jun.

Abstract

Gambling disorder is a common and problematic behavioral disorder associated with depression, substance abuse, domestic violence, bankruptcy, and high suicide rates. In the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), pathological gambling was renamed "gambling disorder" and moved to the Substance-Related and Addiction Disorders chapter to acknowledge that research suggests that pathological gambling and alcohol and drug addiction are related. Therefore, this paper provides a systematic review of risk factors for gambling disorder. Systematic searches of EBSCO, PubMed, and Web of Science identified 33 records that met study inclusion criteria. A revised study acknowledges as risk factors for developing/maintaining a gambling disorder being a single young male, or married for less than 5 years, living alone, having a poor education, and struggling financially.

Keywords: Gambling disorder; Pathological gambling; Risk factors; Treatment.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flowchart of literature review process

References

    1. American Psychiatric Association . Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 5. American Psychiatric Publishing; 2013.
    1. Auer M, Malischnig D, Griffiths M. Gambling before and during the covid-19 pandemic among European regular sports bettors: An empirical study using behavioral tracking data. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction. 2020;29:1–8. doi: 10.1007/s11469-020-00327-8. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bellringer ME, Garrett N. Risk factors for increased online gambling during covid-19 lockdowns in New Zealand: A longitudinal study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021;18(24):12946. doi: 10.3390/ijerph182412946. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bergamini A, Turrina C, Bettini F, Toccagni A, Valsecchi P, Sacchetti E, Vita A. At-risk gambling in patients with severe mental illness: Prevalence and associated features. Journal of Behavioral Addictions. 2018;7(2):348–354. doi: 10.1556/2006.7.2018.47. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bhullar N, Simons L, Joshi K, Amoroso K. The relationship among drinking games, binge drinking and gambling activities in college students. Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education. 2012;56(2):58–84.

Publication types