Mapping motivations for livestream viewing to gambling.

Prior research shows that people who watch gambling and gambling-like content on streaming platforms display an elevated risk of gambling problems. Here, we leverage the literature on motivations as a dominant framework for understanding engagement in addictive behaviors to test how watching gambling is linked to problematic gambling. We pooled data across three online surveys and selected 544 adults who have experience with both gambling streams and gambling. Participants were assessed for their motivations to watch gambling streams, motivations to gamble, and problem gambling severity. We further assessed the frequency of past-year engagement in different types of gambling/gambling-like streams and gambling/gambling-like activities. Structural equation modelling showed that motivations to watch gambling streams were positively associated with the same motivations to gamble (enhancement, coping, and social), suggesting that people watch gambling streams for the same gratifications they receive from gambling. The frequency of watching slots, esports, and loot box openings were positively associated with problem gambling severity, and these associations were attributable to the frequency of playing slots, betting on esports, and purchasing loot boxes, respectively. Amid growing concerns regarding gambling content on streaming platforms, our findings indicate an alignment of motives between gambling stream viewing and first-hand gambling that ultimately contributes to problematic gambling involvement.