A Literature Review on Online Gambling

Online Gambling involves placing a bet over the internet via a website. This can be done on a desktop computer, laptop or mobile device. The activity is highly popular, with many people betting on sports events, casino games or poker matches. Some websites also offer odds calculators and strategy guides to help players maximize their chances of winning.

While online gambling is legal in some countries, it is illegal in others. It is recommended to use only licensed and regulated sites. These sites are reviewed and tested by independent experts to ensure that they are safe and secure. A variety of security features are implemented to protect players from unauthorized transactions. These include strong passwords and two-factor authentication. Players should also regularly check their accounts to ensure that no unauthorized activity has occurred.

Despite its popularity, online gambling is a controversial topic, and there are concerns about the potential for addiction and fraud. Various factors contribute to this, including the lack of control over the environment and the proliferation of advertisements for gambling sites on social media and in other places. In addition, young people are particularly exposed to advertising, as reported in a study by Ipsos MORI on behalf of the gambling watchdog Gamble Aware.

To investigate knowledge about risk and protective factors for gambling, a literature review was conducted in three academic databases: PubMed, PsychInfo and Scopus. A search was launched using the following syntax: (ab(online, internet, interactive) AND (ab(gambling, risk factor, protective factor, predictor, correlate)). The selected articles focused mainly on adults. Variables acting at the contextual level were scarcely explored.