A digital revolution: Comparison of demographic profiles, attitudes and gambling behavior of Internet and non-Internet gamblers

Chasing losses in online poker and casino games: Characteristics and game play of Internet gamblers at risk of disordered gambling

“…These results are consistent with previous research (Strong and Kahler, 2007). The relationship between younger adults and chasing losses also may support previous findings that young people who gamble on the Internet have an elevated risk for gambling problems, and that this age cohort is at greatest risk for developing gambling problems (Gainsbury et al, 2012;Griffiths et al, 2009;McBride and Derevensky, 2012;Productivity Commission, 2010;Reith, 2006;Shaffer and Korn, 2002). Our results support age restrictions for Internet gambling to reduce potentially problematic gambling amongst a vulnerable population (Gainsbury, Blankers et al, 2013).…”

“…This result is consistent with research indicating that the majority of Internet gamblers engage in this activity in a reasonable manner, stay within their limits and do not experience subsequent harms (Wood and Williams, 2011;Braverman and Shaffer, 2012;Gainsbury, Russell, Hing et al, 2012). However, more than one in four participants reported that they would likely chase their losses, which is a known marker of disordered gambling due to its propensity to lead to further losses (Griffiths and Whitty, 2010;Svetieva and Walker, 2008).…”

“…The relationship between chasing losses and unemployment has not been widely found in the literature, although being unemployed is a known predictor of having gambling problems (Reith, 2006). Previous studies have also found that being a student is predictive of being a problem Internet gambler (Gainsbury et al, 2012). It is possible that being unemployed or a student was correlated with age, and further research is needed to understand these relationships.…”

“…This may represent a tendency to persist within gambling sessions as a result of both wins and losses. Irrational beliefs, such as these, have been found to be related to risky and disordered Internet gambling Gainsbury et al, 2012;Mackay and Hodgins, 2012). More research is needed to investigate the impact of a wider range of irrational beliefs on chasing losses.…”

“…Internet gambling is an increasingly popular activity now widely available given increased Internet penetration and strong marketing efforts of online gambling operators (Gainsbury et al, 2012). Although most players gamble within reasonable means at recreational levels, a small proportion of players become overly involved, spending more time and money than they can afford, and experience subsequent negative consequences (Wood and Williams, 2011;Braverman and Shaffer, 2012;Gainsbury, Russell, Hing et al, 2013).…”