Explore the vast range of titles available.

Since the 1990s, gambling has been considered a public health concern. The characteristics of games and the environments in which gambling is carried out are major causes of gambling disorder. Information and communication technologies (e.g., Internet, mobile phones) have been adapted for gambling, and new forms of online gambling have appeared. Online gambling is currently legal in many countries worldwide, and it is continuing to expand globally. In Spain, online gambling has been legal since 2012, when the government authorized companies to operate in this space. Many other countries have been through a similar process of legalization and the promotion of online gambling. In this study, we analyzed the prevalence of gambling disorder in Spain, as well as differences between online and traditional gambling, according to sex and age group. Prevalence indicators of gambling disorder were higher than expected, and this result was especially evident with regard to online gambling.

Online gambling companies claim that they are ethical providers. They seem committed to corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices that are aimed at preventing or minimising the harm associated with their activities. Our empirical research employed a sample of 209 university student online gamblers, who took part in an online survey. Our findings suggest that the extent of online problem gambling is substantial and that it adversely impacts on the gambler's mental and physical health, social relationships and academic performance. Online problem gambling seems to be related to the time spent on the Internet and gambling online, parental/peer gambling and binge drinking. As our findings show that there are harmful repercussions associated with online gambling, we argue that companies in this controversial sector cannot reach the higher level of CSR achieved by other industries. Nevertheless, they can gain legitimacy on the basis of their CSR engagement at a transactional level, and so, by meeting their legal and ethical commitments and behaving with transparency and fairness, the integrity of the company can be ensured. We also argue that current failures in the implementation and control of CSR policies, the reliance on revenue from problem gamblers' losses, and controversial marketing activities appear to constitute the main obstacles in the prevention or minimisation of harm related to online gambling. As online gambling companies must be responsible for the harm related to their activities, we suggest that CSR policies should be fully implemented, monitored and clearly reported; all forms of advertising should be reduced substantially; and unfair or misleading promotional techniques should be banned. The industry should not rely on revenue from problem gamblers, nor should their behaviour be reinforced by marketing activities (i.e. rewards). We realise, however, that it is unrealistic to expect the online gambling industry to prioritise harm prevention over revenue maximisation. Policy makers and regulators, therefore, would need to become involved if the actions suggested above are to be undertaken. CSR is paramount to minimise harm and provide a healthier user experience in this business sector, but it also poses marketing dilemmas. We support a global collaborative approach for the online gambling industry, as harm related to gambling is a public health issue.

Type of the article: Research Article AbstractThe paper deals with the intersection of technological awareness and moral behavior in the context of online gambling. The study analyzes the influence of blockchain understanding on anti-online gambling attitudes, with religiosity and perceived social impact serving as mediators. The study’s object comprises 532 millennial Muslims in Indonesia, selected through simple random sampling, and surveyed from July to October 2024. Respondents met inclusion criteria such as age 17-50 years, Indonesian citizenship, Muslim identity, and knowledge of blockchain. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) based on Partial Least Squares (PLS) was employed to assess proposed relationships.The results demonstrate that blockchain understanding has a significant positive direct effect on online gambling attitudes (T = 3.974; p < 0.001), suggesting that higher blockchain literacy may actually increase openness toward gambling, possibly due to perceived anonymity and security. In contrast, blockchain understanding significantly enhances religiosity (T = 58.653; p < 0.001) and perceived social impact (T = 4.929; p < 0.001), both of which positively influence anti-online gambling attitudes (T = 11.370 and T = 11.574; p < 0.001). Furthermore, indirect effects confirm that both religiosity (T = 9.822; p < 0.001) and perceived social impact (T = 20.224; p < 0.001) significantly mediate the relationship between blockchain understanding and anti-gambling attitudes. The study concludes that while blockchain knowledge alone may increase gambling engagement, its influence can be redirected toward anti-gambling behavior through enhanced moral and social awareness. The findings offer practical value in designing educational interventions that integrate technological literacy with religious and social ethics.

Objective To synthesise original research on the distinct challenges of regulating the online sector, and the efficacy of public health legal interventions aimed at reducing online gambling harm. Background Both legal and public health scholars increasingly view gambling as a public health concern. Gambling puts individuals at risk of a range of harms, including related to finances, relationships, mental health, physical health, employment/education, and criminal activity. Harmful gambling can extend beyond the realms of individual harm to affect others including wider society. Online gambling is growing in many countries—e.g. it accounts for 44% of gambling turnover in the UK—and it is seen as especially harmful compared to land-based gambling due to the accessibility, and fast-paced nature of the products available. In addition, there are distinct harms associated with the overlap between gaming and gambling, most prominently through the challenges that exist in the regulation of loot boxes. Legal and public health scholars recommend legal interventions to reduce the harms of gambling, including online gambling. Methods Following a PICOST inclusion/exclusion criteria, we completed a comprehensive scoping review of scientific and legal data sources to ascertain the efficacy of legal interventions on reducing online gambling harms. A narrative synthesis of the included studies was completed. Results We include 27 data sources which either described distinct challenges of regulating online gambling or evaluated the efficacy of laws and regulations. Current gambling harm reduction research is heavily focused on using an individual approach, rather than a systems approach. When a systems approach is taken, it often prioritises tackling unlicensed gambling and blocking mechanics, which require a comprehensive delivery strategy to be effective. Significant gaps exist in examining the effectiveness of interventions on subgroups of the population. Conclusions Inadequate legal and regulatory frameworks have played a crucial role in the proliferation of online gambling harms; studies vary in their explanation for this inadequacy. There is an urgent need for more robust research on law, regulation, and online gambling harms to critically explore the implications of technology, ongoing innovation, and the intervention generated inequalities of regulating online gambling.

Background The COVID-19 pandemic brought about an extraordinary societal context in which the gambling offer was modified to meet public health measures intended to curb viral transmission. With many land-based gambling venues being forced to close, gambling opportunities were left almost exclusively to the online domain, thus possibly instigating changes in the population’s online gambling habits. Using a sequential mixed methods design, this study aimed to (1) investigate the self-reported changes in gambling habits of adults in the province of Québec (Canada) following the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing public health responses, and (2) report on their lived experiences of these changes during the first year of the pandemic. Method A population survey was conducted with a representative sample of 4,676 online gamblers residing in the province of Québec, which was selected through random digit dialing for telephone interviews and from a web panel. From the initial sample, 96 online gamblers were recruited for in-depth semi-structured interviews inquiring about their gambling experiences during the first year of the pandemic. Results The prevalence of online gambling was estimated at 15.6–20.3% of Québec’s population in 2021, among which 5.6% gambled online for the first time during the pandemic, which represented a substantial addition to the 14.7% of people who gambled online both before and during the pandemic. Only 1.4% of people quit online gambling during the pandemic. The impact of the pandemic was similar for frequency, expenditure, and time spent on various online gambling activities, with day trading having increased most during the pandemic. Seeking to earn money was one of several motivations endorsed by participants who had begun or increased online gambling practices during the first year of the pandemic. Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic clearly revealed a significant increase in online gambling practices when changes in the gambling landscape and in daily life occurred due to the health crisis. This calls for a greater attention to the need for comprehensive regulatory measures and a support system for online gambling in a context of a steadily increasing lucrative market.

Background To combat the public health concern that is problem gambling, gambling operators are increasingly being required by legislation to exercise a duty of care obligation, including the provision of Responsible Gambling (RG) tools. Self-test assessments have long been a popular RG tool implemented by many operators, yet there has been scant empirical research on self-tests, including on how the method of delivery impacts engagement, quality, and subsequent gambling behavior. The main objective of the current study was to examine if the level of voluntariness to perform a self-test moderated these key outcomes. Method Participants in the study, 1800 new online customers at a leading Swedish gambling company, were randomized to one of three arms: No message (control), up to four messages inviting them to do a self-test, and one message with a mandatory (but technically possible to circumvent) self-test. The interventions were presented when the customer logged in. Results The results showed that 38.9% in the mandatory group and 4.8% in the voluntary group completed the self-test, with indications of a somewhat lower quality of the test by the mandatory group. There was no difference in customer churn or gambling behavior, and only minor differences in use of RG-measures post intervention. Conclusions We conclude that presentation format matters and can affect the use and quality of tests: gambling operators should exercise caution when interpreting non-risk assessment results derived solely from self-test tools, particularly mandatory ones, as it can result in inaccurate risk assessments that may mislead duty of care obligations. The balance between achieving high participation and maintaining quality (and thereby meaningfulness) is discussed.

Background Taxation can be used to direct consumption and provision of harmful commodities. Prior research on gambling taxation has nevertheless been inconclusive on whether this can also apply to gambling. In gambling policy, optimal taxation rates have particularly been debated from the perspective of channelling consumption from offshore markets to regulated markets. Prior industry-sponsored reports have suggested that lower tax rates may be correlated with higher channelling rates. Methods We analyse data on two cross-sections (2018; 2021) derived from 29 European countries. The data consist of estimated channelling rates, information on taxation levels, and controls including blocking policies. We produce a descriptive overview of the recent evolution of market channelling and taxation for online gambling products across Europe. We also produce a multivariate regression analysis on the extent that market channelling is correlated with taxation of online gambling. Results Our results show important divergence in taxation of online gambling markets in Europe. We also found that over time, the market share of offshore markets has declined in relative terms. However, this decline is explained by a more rapid growth in the regulated market in absolute terms. The regression analysis found no evidence of a negative correlation between that taxation rates and channelling rates within Europe. Conclusions Gambling policy needs to be based on empirical, impartial evidence. Misleading estimates may result in increased harms to societies. Channelling objectives are important for better regulation and harm reduction, but taxation levels do not appear to be correlated to the success of channelling policies.

Background Since July 2022, the Australian government has required online wagering operators to send all active customers activity statements as part of the National Consumer Protection Framework in an effort to reduce gambling harms. Having access to clear and accurate gambling expenditure data is intended to facilitate awareness and reflection and enhance consumer self-awareness for their spending, which can consequently enable informed and considered decisions regarding future gambling spend. This study aimed to explore Australian wagering customers’ use of activity statements and their impact on gambling behaviour. Methods Data was gathered through surveys distributed via two online gambling operators to assess problem gambling severity, self-reported use and impact of activity statements, and ability to recall gambling spend. The operators provided matched customer account data for each participant, which was de-identified but enabled gambling behaviour to be objectively assessed and the accuracy of self-reported spending to be determined. The final sample comprised 1647 participants (85% male) with a mean age of 44 years. Results Our results suggest that 57.2% of participants opened their statements at least “sometimes”, indicating consumer interest in activity statements. Of the customers who opened statements, 17.6% reported that the statements decreased their gambling, and a very small proportion (0.8%) reported a subsequent increase in their gambling. There was some evidence of a dose-dependent relationship whereby the more people engaged with statements, the more effective they were perceived to be. Reading statements more often and more recently was not associated with improved recall of recent gambling spend or net outcome. There were no significant changes in gambling behaviour (betting frequency and deposit amount) observed around the time when statements were sent. Conclusions A notable proportion of online wagering customers are using activity statements and many feel these are useful in tracking their gambling spending and may help them to reduce their gambling. Importantly, there was minimal evidence of negative unintended consequences observed in self-report and objective behavioural data. Efforts to enhance engagement with activity statements would likely result in further benefits. These findings contribute to the evaluation of a national policy regarding consumer protection tools designed to reduce gambling harm.

Background Online gambling products involve a heightened risk of harm, but there are some possibilities to prevent and reduce these harms. Notably, mandatory identification in online gambling environments allows for a range of pre-commitment tools such as limit-setting. Previous research has found that limit-setting tools can be helpful, but effectiveness depends on how policies are outlined and implemented. Limits can be financial or temporal, voluntary or mandatory, and system-level or operator-based. The current paper presents a policy review of European approaches to limit-setting in online environments. Methods We first compared legal provisions on pre-commitment and limit-setting in N = 30 European countries (27 European Union Member States, Great Britain, Norway, and Switzerland). Data were retrieved from Vixio Gambling Compliance country reports and verified against original legal texts. The analysis focused on financial, temporal, maximum wager limits, and any other limits pertaining to online gambling. Second, based on the policy review, we produced a more in-depth analysis of limit-setting provisions in countries with system-level pre-commitment (Finland, Norway, Germany). Results Results show important divergence in terms of limit-setting across Europe. While almost all countries (n = 27) have some form of limit-setting, implementation details vary. Financial limits can include loss limits (n = 15 countries), deposit limits (n = 18), and wagering limits (n = 14), with the majority of countries providing several types of financial limits. Temporal limits were available in ten countries. Eleven countries had some mandatory limits, in other countries operators were expected to provide the option to set limits. Statutory maximum limits and lower limits for young adults were not common, but available in some countries. Germany was the only country with a system-level limit-setting scheme that covered multiple licensed operators. Conclusions Contextual variations in pre-commitment and limit-setting policies are likely to impact effectiveness in terms of preventing and reducing harm. Our review shows some promising practices, including system-level regimes, mandatory policies, reasonable maximum caps on limits and wagers, the possibility to set limits for various time periods, lower limits for young adults, and coupling limit-setting with other duty-of-care obligations. Learning from other jurisdictions can constitute good practice for future policies on pre-commitment.

The novel coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had major impacts on most societies worldwide including the cancelation and postponement of sports events. This has had a major impact on the sports betting industry. The present study is first to investigate the behavior of a sample of online sports bettors before and after COVID-19 measures were put in place by European governments. The authors were given access to the player data by a large European online gambling operator comprising players from Sweden, Germany, Finland, and Norway. The behavioral change of the sports bettors before March 7 and after March 7 (2020) was computed. All sports bettors who placed at least one wager in at least 5 calendar weeks out of the 10 possible calendar weeks between January 1 and March 7 ( n  = 5396) were included in the analysis. Results showed statistically significant reductions among sports bettors wagering in online casinos. This indicates that there was no conversion of money spent from sports betting to online casino games, at least for this particular online gambling operator. The findings suggest that there was a significant decrease in the amount of money wagered by sports bettors during the COVID-19 pandemic (compared with before it) and that sports bettors did not switch to playing more online casino games and that there was also a significant reduction in playing online casino games among sports bettors.