Internet gambling not as harmful as some claim
News on 6 May 2015
News on 6 May 2015
The high profile problem gambler researcher from Australia’s Southern Cross University, Dr. Sally Gainsbury, has published scientifically based findings which give the lie to some of the wilder and unsubstantiated claims of politicians and organisations like the Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling that online gambling is a principal cause of addictive gambling.
In her paper ‘Online Gambling Addiction: the Relationship Between Internet Gambling and Disordered Gambling,” Dr. Gainsbury concludes that “internet gambling does not cause gambling problems in, and of, itself.”
Whilst conceding that the relationship between live and internet gambling is still not fully established or fully understood, Gainsbury observes that live gambling remains the main source of problem punters. These subsequently become internet gamblers, and this should be taken into account in order to avoid the generation of misleading perspectives regarding the propensity of internet gambling to create compulsive gamblers.
And, she claims, internet gambling may have less potential to create problem gamblers:
“Evidence is emerging that Internet gambling is not only not predictive of gambling problems, but when other variables are controlled for individuals who gamble, online may have lower rates of gambling problems.”
Despite internet gambling’s generally lower propensity to create addictive gamblers, Gainsbury points out that for frequent, “highly involved” gamblers, the internet can pose an enhanced addictive danger.
Dr. Gainsbury is the first to admit that there is still much to be done in the research of problem gambling and gamblers as the prevalence of internet gambling continues to grow, and she warns online casino operators to remain vigilant and embrace responsible gambling measures.
Her review can be accessed here:
