Online gambling and its consequences: A comparison across two cohorts in Sweden

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Author(s): Wall, Håkan ; Marionneau, Virve ; Lindqvist, Helena ; Molander, Olof

Journal: Addictive Behaviors

Year Published: 2025

Date Added: January 14, 2025

The purpose of this study was to compare online gambling and associated harms across two cohorts of adults who sought help from the Swedish National Gambling Helpline. The first cohort was recruited in 2019 and included 185 adults. The second cohort was recruited in 2023 and included 122 participants. Both cohorts completed an online survey. Participants in the 2023 cohort reported more intense gambling than those in the 2019 cohort. Online electronic gambling machines (EGMs) were the most common form of gambling. Many participants in both cohorts experienced gambling-related harms and co-occurring mental health issues, such as depression, with increases in the 2023 cohort. People who gambled on online EGMs were more likely to experience harms.

Citation: Wall, H., Marionneau, V., Lindqvist, H., & Molander, O. (2025). Digitalisation of gambling harm? Gambling consumption, negative consequences, and clinical characteristics among Swedish help-seekers. Addictive Behaviors, 160, 108182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2024.108182

Article DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2024.108182

Keywords: depression ; Electronic Gambling Machines (EGMs) ; gambling ; gambling harm ; harms ; online gambling

Topics: Anxiety and Depression ; Comorbidities ; Gambling Related Harms ; Game Types ; Information for Operators ; Online Gambling ; Slots and VLTs

Conceptual Framework Factors: Exposure - Gambling Setting ; Environment - Social and Economic Impacts ; Types - Structural Characteristics ; Psychological - Comorbid Disorders ; Exposure - Accessibility ; Psychological Factors ; Gambling Environment ; Types - Motivational Characteristics ; Gambling Exposure

Study Design: Descriptive: Survey

Geographic Coverage: Sweden

Study Population: A total of 307 people were recruited to participate in this study. Participants had to be over the age of 18 and had visited the Swedish National Gambling Helpline.

Sampling Procedure: Help-seekers were recruited through a banner advertisement on the webpage of the Swedish National Gambling Helpline in 2019 and 2023. The banner included a link to further study information and the survey.

Study Funding:

Open access funding was provided by Karolinska Institutet Library.