From the love of the game: a qualitative study exploring mechanisms to online gambling participation in young people

Emerging research has identified engagement in sports or video gaming as risk factors for gambling and gambling harm in young adults, but little is known about the mechanisms through which childhood engagement with these activities may lead to gambling in early adulthood. This qualitative study with 40 Australian young adults (aged 18–24 years) who self-identified as currently gambling online explored the factors they believed contributed to their uptake of gambling. Thematic analysis identified four common stages: (1) a love of ‘the game’ (video games or sports); (2) gambling becoming an inescapable part of the game; (3) gambling being seen as a way to enhance the game experience; and, for some, (4) gambling becoming a distinct activity in its own right, sometimes accompanied by gambling harm. Participants described how external factors, including universal gambling advertising, ease of access, and the normalization of gambling in their community, contributed to this progression. The similarity of these pathways across sport and gaming suggests shared mechanisms through which gambling becomes embedded in young people’s leisure.