Study: Online Gambling Does Not Cause Addiction

This story was published more than 8 years ago.

A new study by Dr. Sally Gainsbury at Southern Cross University in Australia has revealed that online gambling is not a principle cause of gambling addiction like some of the activity's opposition claim.

Dr. Gainsbury published a paper named "Online Gambling Addiction: The Relationship Between Internet Gambling and Disordered Gambling", and comes to the conclusion that "internet gambling does not cause gambling problems in, and of, itself."

The doctor's research concedes that while the activity of online gambling is not fully understood at this point, live casino action is likely the main source of problem gambling with problem gambling. She points out that while some people that she dubs "highly involved" gamblers can suffer gambling addiction online, the risk is lower than in other betting sectors.

"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," Gainsbury wrote.

Those interested in reading the full study can do so here.

About the author

Jeremy Wilson // Senior Editor
Jeremy Wilson
Jeremy has senior editorial responsibilities across all areas of the site. He lives in Sydney, Australia and has been working with Casino Listings in various roles since its inception in 2007. His go-to game is Blackjack.