Online Gambling involves a digital activity where real money is placed on games of chance via the internet or mobile apps. It has grown rapidly in popularity due to its convenience and availability, allowing people to gamble from the comfort of their homes 24/7. However, it can have serious financial consequences if not managed properly. People who gamble online can experience financial strain and find themselves in debt or struggling to pay bills. They may also experience declining work or academic performance, health issues and relationship conflicts.
To investigate the current state of knowledge about risk and protective factors for online gambling, a literature review was conducted in the PubMed, PsychInfo, and Scopus databases using similar syntaxes. Articles were selected if they met the following criteria: population (P), intervention (I) or comparison group (C), and analysis of the presence of risk or protective factors at any level of investigation (individual, relational, contextual).
The majority of studies on this topic have focused on the influence of individual factors. They have found that people who gamble online are more likely to spend more and to be classified as problem gamblers than those who do not gamble. However, there is very little research on the variables that act at the relational or contextual level. Studies have found that the quality and quantity of a person’s relationships plays an important role in their choice to gamble, while the presence of family members who gamble also increases this likelihood.
