Intensity and gambling harms: Exploring breadth of gambling involvement among esports bettors

Abstract

Esports bettors may represent an emerging cohort of gamblers. Concerns have been expressed about the vulnerability of these gamblers because of their young age and potential high engagement in Internet and game use. It is important to investigate whether esports bettors represent a cohort migrating to include other forms of gambling, or existing online gamblers adopting esports into their gambling repertoire. The current study aimed to specifically look at the overall gambling involvement and problem gambling severity of esports bettors as compared to sports bettors. An online survey of 501 Australian sports bettors (n=160 esports and sports; n=341 sports only) found that esports bettors participated in significantly more forms of gambling (breadth), and in each form more often (intensity). Esports bettors had significantly higher problem gambling severity scores on a self-report measure. These results are consistent with previous findings that Internet problem gamblers have a high overall gambling involvement. This study suggests that Australian online gamblers have adopted esports betting in addition to other gambling activities, rather than representing a new group of online gamblers. As esports betting is a relatively new product increasingly offered by licensed operators, ongoing research is needed to monitor trends in use. Online gambling sites should include play management tools and the ability to self-exclude from all online gambling forms offered and educational campaigns may be needed to educate consumers on the risks associated with high gambling involvement.