About this Research Topic

Background

In their article "Compulsive Internet Gambling: a New Form of an Old Clinical Pathology", published just twenty years ago, King and Barak put into perspective for the first time the specifics of online gambling compared to those of offline gambling and questioned the possible negative social influence of online gambling. Since then, hundreds of articles have been published on the subject of online gambling and pathological gambling, in terms of technological progress, marketing, gambling characteristics, gambling disorder’s prevention and treatment.

Online gaming sites have grown exponentially. They deliver easily-accessible gaming 24 hours a day through various digital media platforms. These sites are very successful, and manage to retain a clientele that appreciates ease, availability and discretion. The games on offer are evolving, and adapting rapidly to consumer demands. For some individuals, their online gaming may become out of control and infiltrate their daily life, work, home life or friendships. It has been known for more than 10 years that online gambling leads to addiction and loss of control to a greater extent than offline gambling. Governments are trying to regulate online gambling in order to combat both money laundering and excessive gambling problems. From one country to another, the legislation varies, restricting the opening of new gaming sites or requiring sites to offer game moderators to players. In addition, in recent years, there has been a close and deliberate association between gambling and gaming by specifically targeting a younger and more at-risk clientele.

Currently, there is a strong need for state-of-the-art information in order to answer questions such as the following:

- Is there a saturation of the market after a long period of development? Who are the new customers? What are the recent trends in terms of gambling offers?

- Has sport betting certain specificities?

- What are the social benefits of Internet gambling?

- Is a balance between liberalization and regulation possible? How does one best protect the gamblers?

- What are the possible links between Internet Gambling Disorder and Gaming Disorder? What are the similarities and differences between land-based gambling disorder and Internet Gambling Disorder? Are there differences according to the type of game (individual vulnerabilities, prognosis, treatment, etc.)?

- Could e-sport lead to the same kind of addictive disorders?

- How can one prevent Internet Gambling Disorder? What is the effectiveness of harm-minimization tools? What are public attitudes towards harm reduction strategies?

-Could the tracking data from gambling websites be useful for science? In what conditions (regarding ethics, security, methods of data analysis, etc.)?

- Could online therapeutic interventions help disordered gamblers? What sort of therapeutic interventions could we recommend?

- What future contributions are needed in the field?

This Research Topic is intended to review the current insights into Internet gambling. We therefore welcome different types of manuscripts, including empirical studies, review papers, theoretical contributions, and opinion articles.

Guest Topic Editor Marie Grall-Bronnec has declared that the University Hospital of Nantes has received funding from the gambling industry (FDJ and PMU) in the form of a philanthropic sponsorship (donations that do not assign purpose of use). All other Guest Topic Editors declare no competing interests with regards to the Research Topic subject.

Keywords: Online Gambling, Gambling Disorder, Gaming Disorder, Internet Gambling, Regulation, Marketing

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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