How to Protect Yourself While Gambling
Online
Many people engage in online gambling for various reasons gamblingonline, including accessibility, privacy, and
convenience. Online gambling allows you to play casino games from the comfort of your own
home. However, researchers, policy makers, and regulators have raised questions about the
potential health risks. Online gambling is often presented as a ‘risky’ form of gambling and may
lead to increased risks for gambling-related problems. Therefore, it is important to know how to
protect yourself while gambling online.
Social casino games as a ‘gateway’ to online gambling
The use of social casino games as a ‘gateway to online gambling’ has been investigated, and
recent research suggests that this practice increases the risk of future gambling behaviors.
Adolescents and young adults are particularly likely to engage in social casino games, which
have been proven to promote gambling behavior. Several studies have shown that almost two-
fifths of adolescents played these games before they ever tried playing real money gambling.
Researchers studied the social casino game as a ‘gateway’ to real-money gambling, and they
found that they mimicked the gameplay of traditional real-money slots. For example, Slotomania
and DoubleDown’s slot machines are modeled after modern multiline video slots, complete with
a complicated payout scheme and a system called ‘dynamic game balancing’ that adjusts the
odds based on player performance.
Probability of winning a monetary prize as a factor of each
game
The personal control of a gambler affects the probability of winning, which is measured in the
form of confidence. Players who have some control over the arrangements of their own gamble
are equally likely to win compared to those who let an agent do this. In lottery games, for
example, players who select their favourite numbers have as much chance of winning as those
who purchase a ‘lucky dip’ ticket. In Langer’s study, players’ confidence was tested when they
had the opportunity to arrange their own gambling.
Despite the fact that near-misses provide little or no information about future success, they are
very misleading to the brain. The brain evolved to distinguish between rewards that depend on a
person’s behaviour. The personal control of a gambler is one of the factors that encourages it. In
addition, the unpredictable nature of monetary wins is a powerful form of positive reinforcement.
Influence of peer influence
The influence of peers may have a significant impact on gambling attitudes. Peer pressure,
when accepted by others, may influence an individual’s gambling behaviour. Young gamblers
are typically influenced by parents or older siblings who give them scratch-off lottery tickets. As
the problem gambler grows older, peer influence becomes more important as a social norm.
Problem gamblers often seek out a group of peers who share the same gambling attitudes.
The effects of peer influence on online gambling may be mediated by happiness and the use of
social media. Several recent studies have examined the impact of peer influence on gambling.
Hsieh and Tseng (2018) examined how informational and emotional influences influence the
intention to buy virtual items. Similarly, Shukla and Drennan (2018) found that normative
interpersonal influence is associated with casino gambling intentions. And Chang et al. (2014)
found that peer influence and subjective norms were associated with continual intention to play
online casino games.
Psychological distress of problem gamblers
There is a strong association between problem gambling and participation in online casinos.
Problem gamblers often engage in multiple activities, and overall participation in one activity can
be misleading. Researchers conducted a national telephone survey in Australia to assess the
association between gambling activity and psychological distress. Those who played online
casino games indicated that they engaged in land-based modes prior to their online casino
activities. They also reported that the problem began before they began playing online casino
games.
In Finland, gambling problem severity increased with higher psychological distress. Compared to
non-gamblers, problem gamblers experienced more emotional distress than non-gamblers. This
increased frequency was even more pronounced among young people. This could be due to the
fact that these young people replaced their close social ties with gambling-related ones, and
thus received less social support. However, the association between gambling and increased
emotional distress was significantly lower in entertainment gamblers.