The Risks of Online Gambling

Online gambling has become a worldwide phenomenon, including casinos, sports betting, and virtual poker. In fact, the Liechtenstein International Lottery was the first online venue, and today, there are many different kinds of online gambling available. The first of these was a sports betting site called 888 Sports, and the internet has made it easy for people to wager on games from the comfort of their own homes. However, the laws surrounding online gambling vary widely.

Teenagers and college-aged students can easily access both real-world and online gambling. As a result, it is important to discuss the risks of gambling, especially for minors. While this article gives a basic understanding of the risks involved, it is not a substitute for counseling or therapy. As always, if you feel you may be developing an addiction to online gambling, it is best to consult a primary care physician. You may also wish to consult an addiction specialist or review additional resources online.

The first step in online gambling is to choose a casino that meets your personal preferences. The best way to determine whether you have an addiction to gambling is by answering a standard set of questions called the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS). An average SOGS score for online gamblers was 7.8, while the mean score for non-gamblers was 1.8. Based on their SOGS scores, the researchers classified their respondents into three levels, which included level one gamblers with a score of zero to two, level two gamblers with a three-to-four, and level three gamblers with a score of five or higher.