Online gambling is any form of gambling that is done via the internet. It can take the form of casino games, sports betting, horse racing, lottery and more. It is a popular activity among many people who have access to smartphones and internet connectivity. While it is a convenient and fun pastime, there is also a risk of addiction. In the United States alone, online gaming has become a major industry. As such, it is important to understand how to identify gambling addictions and know what steps can be taken to recover from them.

In this article, the authors investigate whether there are specific risk factors and protective factors related to online gambling. The authors use PICO as the structure to investigate this issue: Population Intervention Comparison Outcome. The study focuses on the decade of 2010 to 2020 and includes only peer-reviewed studies.

Results of the current literature show that a variety of aspects are associated with online gambling and that there are differences between online and offline gamblers in terms of socioanagraphic variables. It would be interesting to reevaluate existing prevention interventions and adapt them to online gambling.

Several studies report that people who gamble online are more likely to be problematic and to spend higher amounts of money than those who don’t. Moreover, gambling can be addictive because it provides a temporary escape from low moods. Consequently, some users develop a dependency on it and experience negative effects on their relationships and health. In addition, some people even lie about their gambling expenditures.