The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between social risk perception and sports lottery gambling addiction in China. The study also looked at the role of social support. The researchers surveyed 352 Chinese adults who bought sports lottery tickets. They found that people who reported higher levels of perceived social risk were more likely to experience gambling addiction related to sports lottery. Two dimensions of social risk perception, namely economic risk (e.g., financial insecurity) and psychological risk (e.g., mental stress), were linked to a higher likelihood of gambling addiction. On the other hand, higher levels of social support were linked to a lower likelihood of gambling addiction. In particular, people with strong emotional or appraisal support were not as likely to develop gambling addiction when they experienced various social risks.
