Internet Gambling Among High School Students in Hong Kong

Abstract

The study investigated Internet gambling involvement and pathological gambling among Hong Kong adolescents aged 12–19 years. The diagnostic and statistical manual (4th edition) multiple response format for juveniles (DSM-IV-MR-J) (Fisher in J Gambl Stud 16:253–273, 2000) was filled by 1,004 students (597 boys, 407 girls) recruited by random selection of classes. The response rate was 86.6 %. Results indicate that more respondents participated in land-based gambling than Internet gambling (63.5 vs. 3.5 %) but online gamblers are 1.5 and 3.2 times more likely to develop pathological and at-risk gambling than non-Internet gamblers. Using the DSM-IV-MR-J criteria, 5.7 and 22.9 % of the Internet gamblers could be classified as at-risk gamblers and pathological gamblers, respectively. Majority (94.3 %) wagered online at home, and 91.4 % made their first bet before 18 years. Many perceived Internet gambling as a trendy (71.4 %) and safe entertainment (54.3 %). Problematic Internet gambling was significantly associated with the male gender, school grades, online gambling frequency, amount wagered and a gambling family environment. Survey results have implications for gambling research and preventive programs.

Factors associated with social casino gaming among adolescents across game types

“…As predicted, it was observed that adolescent SCG players were more likely to report having a friend or a parent who gambles in comparison to adolescents who had not played SCGs the past three months. These results are in line with existing research pertaining to online and land-based gambling [ 15 , 39 – 41 ], where it has been noted that close others within an individual’s environment tend to transmit their gambling attitudes and behaviours to the individual, be it through implied approval [ 37 ], through modeling [ 95 ], or through pressure to conform [ 96 ]. The one exception to this general pattern was observed for the SCG of poker, where it was noted that individuals who have played the SCG of poker in the past three months were not more likely to have friends who gamble than individuals who did not report taking part in SCGs.…”

“…A key factor that may have an impact on SCG use among adolescents is peer and parental transmission of behaviours and attitudes pertinent to gambling [ 37 , 38 ]. Studies carried out in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Hong Kong have shown that adolescents who have close friends or parents who engage in monetary gambling are more likely to participate in monetary online gambling [ 15 , 39 – 41 ]. This role of close others in explicitly or tacitly encouraging gambling activities may be especially pertinent to social casino gaming, which often involves the sharing of SCG scores or the promotion of SCG play with one’s online social networks through social media websites [ 1 ].…”

How Has Internet Addiction Research Evolved Since the Advent of Internet Gaming Disorder? An Overview of Cyberaddictions from a Psychological Perspective

“…Those who gambled online represented a minor proportion of all gamblers, although they had a higher probability of developing an addiction [44,45]. With regard to online gambling predictors, adolescents who gambled online increased their risk of generalized IA almost daily [43,45]; most were males who gambled a wagered amount and grew up in a gambling family environment [44] with emotional and behavioral maladjustments [45]. Among the adults studied, most were men who gambled alone for more than 4 h per session in two or more online gambling activities, presenting comorbidity with other drug addictions (e.g., tobacco and alcohol) and commonalities with offline gamblers [46].…”

Personality, Luck Beliefs, and (Non-?) Problem Lottery Gambling

“…Again following Cook et al's (1998) precedence, we created a binary dependent variable of had/had not participated in the lottery by collapsing categories together. Some 59.7% of participants had bought lottery tickets at least once in the preceding year, a proportion that is close to the 63.5% of Hong Kong high-school students that Wong and So (2014) report have participated in non-internet gambling.…”