Online Gambling is the practice of placing wagers and winning cash from electronic gambling platforms. It is an industry that has exploded in recent years with hundreds of websites offering gamblers the opportunity to place bets and win real money through virtual casino games and sports betting. However, some of these websites are unregulated and a risk to users’ personal information. Moreover, people who have gambling problems are often more vulnerable to harm than those without such issues. This can include family breakdown, financial stress, mental illness and even suicide. Gambling also diverts funds away from essential spending, such as food and housing. It is therefore essential that governments take action to regulate this sector, and ensure it does not increase the risks of harmful gambling.

Despite the growing popularity of online gambling, it remains unclear what factors are most predictive of problem gambling behaviours. The current literature is dominated by studies of individual-level risk and protective factors. The authors of this article sought to synthesise and consolidate existing knowledge about these factors using a PICO framework (Population Intervention Comparison Outcome).

Findings suggest that variables acting at the environment and life context level are important in online gambling. For example, the university context has been linked to higher rates of gambling among students compared to other settings, while relationships with family members have been associated with greater likelihood of gambling by women. Personality traits are also associated with online gambling. High impulsivity is more frequently observed in problematic online gamblers than in nonproblematic gamblers and is linked to cognitive distortions such as the illusion of control.