Scholary Critique of "Problem Gambling on the Internet"

Scholarly Critique of Problem Gambling on the Internet
Danesa Bender Communication 3320 Hamline University


10/24/2007





Research Topic and Researchers: Problem Gambling on the Internet: Implications for Internet Gambling Policy in North America by Wood, Robert & Williams, Robert, in New Media & Society, June 2007, 9 (3), pp. 520-542. Retrieved from Communication and Media Complete on October 23, 2007.

Rationale of the Study: North American governments desire to promote responsible gambling and want to curtail problem gambling, therefore, said governments will want and need to be aware of the relationship between problem gambling and the internet before developing the regulations that will legalize internet gambling.

Literature Review:
• Between 1998 and 2001, numbers of online gambling sites grew from numbers in the low hundreds to numbers in the thousands (Wood & Williams, 2007, p.523), many of which are located offshore.
• By 2001, hundreds of millions of North Americans (Woods & Williams, 2007, p. 524) had the internet access necessary to explore online gambling sites.
• Although online gambling is widely accessible, internet gambling is not a widespread or largely practiced phenomenon.
• Online gambling also occurs in relatively low numbers in countries where internet gambling is legal and regulated.
• North Americans with problem gambling habits are moderately low.
• However, North Americans that gamble on the internet are more likely to develop problem gambling habits.
• It is not clear to what degree internet gambling leads to problem gambling or whether established problem gamblers are attracted to the internet.
• Internet gambling provides convenient, easily accessible, anonymous, immersive and potentially more affordable (Woods & Williams, 2007, p. 525) gambling opportunities to problem gamblers.
• The psychological value of money on the internet may be less than that of actual cash, leading to freer spending among internet gamblers.
• The ability of online gamblers to access the internet at a comfortable environment such as their home leads to a potentially higher frequency of play.
• Internet gaming sites inflate payout rates during demonstration rounds (Wood & Williams, 2007, p. 525), leading to an increased perception that “big wins” are possible, which often hooks problem gamblers.
• Despite the obvious potential that online gambling has to attract problem gamblers, few sites incorporate the safeguards necessary to promote responsible gaming.

The authors argue that problem gamblers may be attracted to internet gambling sites, that there may be methods to predict problem behaviors among internet gamblers and that governments should create internet gambling rules and regulations that are sensitive to and aware of the potential link between internet gambling and problem gamblers.

Research Method:
Content analysis of surveys.

Subject of the Study:
1920 online gamblers, visitors to Canadian and United States online gambling sites who agreed to voluntarily complete a survey about their gender, ethnic, economic and educational identity and internet and land-based gaming habits in exchange for anonymity in the survey and a small incentive gift. Subjects responded to a teaser about the gift on an online gambling site and were reminded of their voluntary participation. The researchers attempted to limit multiple responses to the survey by the same respondent through requiring address information in order to receive the gift.

Research Finding:
• The majority of the respondents preferred internet gambling over land-based gambling.
• Internet gamblers come from diverse lifestyle and ethnic backgrounds, but the slight majority of gender is held by men.
• Nearly half of internet gamblers can be classified as problem gamblers and by comparison, only a single-digit percentage of land-based gamers in North America can be classified as problem gamblers.
• Internet gamblers are a high-risk group for problem gambling (Wood & Williams, 2007, p. 537).
• Certain ethnic identities (African and Asian) are at higher risk for internet problem gambling.
• Although it is unclear which bears the greater influence on the other, it is prudent to say that there link between internet gambling and problem gamers works in both directions.
• Preferring land-based gaming is a sign of problem gambling.
• Spending mass amounts of time gambling online is also a predictor of problem gambling.

Short Term:
• The link between problem gambling and internet gambling is very real.
• Governments should provide internet gamblers with feedback about problem gambling.
• Internet-based treatment and diagnosis programs should be developed.
• Access and use of internet gambling sites should be controlled and regulated.
• Advertisement of gambling sites on the internet should also be controlled and regulated.

My Position on this Scholarly Essay:

This article was easy to follow and clearly written. The concepts were also easy to understand and I found them very interesting. The research method using the survey made complete sense and was easy to follow as well. I enjoyed learning about the questions that made up the survey, although it would have been helpful to know more about the questions used to determine whether the respondents were problem gamers or not.

I was not at all surprised to learn that internet gamblers were also likely to be problem gamblers. I can see quite clearly that the virtual nature of the internet, the ease of access and the anonymity would draw problem gamblers, especially those that might be embarrassed by their addiction in the light of day at a land-based facility. Essentially, before I read this article I believed that many internet gamblers would already be somewhat aware of their own identity as problem gamblers and were seeking internet gambling as a way to hide their problem from others. I was, therefore, surprised to consider that the researchers were unable to tell whether the internet was more likely to attract problem gamblers, or just more likely to produce them.

I do agree with the article also that internet gambling sites should be regulated, legalized and controlled. As a United States citizen, I am very aware that the gambling industry in this country is heavily regulated by federal, state and tribal governments. I do also know that illegal gambling occurs in this country and I am therefore puzzled why the same crackdown has not yet taken place on the internet.