Online Gambling Addiction and Life Functioning in Adults: A Review

Year 2025, Volume: 8 Issue: 2, 1 - 13, 31.12.2025

Ceren Yaşar , Safa Heybet

Abstract

Objective: This review aims to examine the impact of online gambling addiction on daily living activities, activity performance, social roles, and quality of life among adults. With the rapid expansion of digital platforms, the accessibility of online betting has increased, making it essential to investigate how this behavior affects individuals' functional domains of life.

Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar for studies published between 2015 and 2025. Research involving adult populations engaged in online gambling and reporting outcomes related to daily functioning, role performance, or quality of life was included. The findings were synthesized through thematic content analysis.

Results: The literature indicates that online gambling addiction leads to impairments in daily living activities, difficulties in time management, disrupted sleep patterns, reduced sustainability of work and family roles, and increased social isolation. Furthermore, online gambling contributes to diminished quality of life through mechanisms such as financial stress, cognitive overload, loss of motivation, and reduced behavioral control.

Conclusion: Online gambling addiction is a multifaceted issue that negatively affects not only financial stability but also individuals’ ability to maintain daily routines, fulfill social roles, and sustain overall life functioning. Current evidence highlights the need for more specific, interdisciplinary, and methodologically robust studies to better understand the functional consequences of online gambling.

Keywords

Onlline Gambling , Functioning , Occupational Therapy

Ethical Statement

As this study is a review research, no ethics committee approval was required.

Supporting Institution

This study was not supported by any funding or institutional support

Project Number

Proje numarası bulunmamaktadır.

Yetişkinlerde Çevrimiçi Kumar Bağımlılığı ve Yaşam İşlevselliği: Bir Derleme

Abstract

Amaç: Bu derleme, yetişkin bireylerde çevrimiçi kumar bağımlılığının günlük yaşam aktiviteleri, aktivite performansı, sosyal roller ve yaşam kalitesi üzerindeki etkilerini incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Dijitalleşmenin hızlanmasıyla çevrimiçi bahis platformlarının erişilebilirliği artmış; bu durum kumar davranışının bireylerin işlevsel yaşam alanları üzerindeki etkilerini araştırmayı önemli hâle getirmiştir.

Yöntem: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science ve Google Scholar veri tabanlarında 2015–2025 yılları arasında yayımlanmış çalışmalar taranmış; çevrimiçi kumar oynayan yetişkin popülasyonlarını ve yaşam işlevselliğiyle ilişkili sonuçları değerlendiren araştırmalar derlemeye dahil edilmiştir. Dahil edilen çalışmalar tematik olarak analiz edilmiştir.

Bulgular: Literatür, çevrimiçi kumar bağımlılığının bireylerin günlük yaşam aktivitelerinde bozulmaya, zaman yönetimi güçlüklerine, uyku düzeninde bozulmaya, iş ve aile rollerinin sürdürülebilirliğinde azalmaya ve sosyal izolasyona yol açtığını göstermektedir. Ayrıca, kumar davranışının artan finansal stres, bilişsel yüklenme, motivasyon kaybı ve davranışsal kontrol güçlüğü aracılığıyla yaşam kalitesini olumsuz etkilediği belirtilmektedir.

Sonuç: Çevrimiçi kumar bağımlılığı, yalnızca ekonomik kayıplara değil, aynı zamanda bireyin günlük yaşamını sürdürebilme kapasitesine, sosyal rollerine ve genel yaşam kalitesine zarar veren çok boyutlu bir problem olarak değerlendirilmektedir. Literatür, çevrimiçi kumarın yaşam işlevselliği üzerindeki etkilerinin daha spesifik, disiplinler arası ve metodolojik açıdan güçlü çalışmalarla araştırılmasına ihtiyaç olduğunu ortaya koymaktadır.

Keywords

Çevrimiçi Kumar , İşlevsellik , Ergoterapi

Ethical Statement

Derleme araştırması olduğu için etik kurul başvurusu yapılmamıştır.

Supporting Institution

Destekleyen kurum bulunmamaktadır

Project Number

Proje numarası bulunmamaktadır.

References

• 1. Griffiths MD. Internet gambling: issues, concerns, and recommendations. CyberPsychology & Behavior. 2003;6(6):557-68.
• 2. Anselme P, Robinson MJ. What motivates gambling behaviour? Insight into dopamine’s role. Front Behav Neurosci. 2013;7:182.
• 3. Koivula A, Håkansson A, Svensson J, et al. A cross-national study of gambling activities among young people and life satisfaction: Associations with problem gambling and online-gambling community participation. J Gambl Stud. 2022;38(3):495-511.
• 4. Wong HY, Mo HY, Potenza MN, Chan MNM, Lau WM, Chui TK, Pakpour AH, Lin CY. Relationships between severity of Internet gaming disorder, severity of problematic social media use, sleep quality and psychological distress. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(6):1879.
• 5. Carranza J, Fossella N, McLuhan A, Matheson FI. How problem gambling shapes activities of daily living: A narrative inquiry. Am J Occup Ther. 2025;79(1):7901205150.
• 6. Tran LT, Wardle H, Colledge-Frisby S, Taylor S, Lynch M, Rehm J, Volberg R, Marionneau V, Saxena S, Bunn C, Farrell M, Degenhardt L. The prevalence of gambling and problematic gambling: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Public Health. 2024;9(8):e594-e613.
• 7. Topino E, Gori A, Cacioppo M. Alexithymia, dissociation, and family functioning in a sample of online gamblers: A moderated mediation study. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(24):13291.
• 8. Floridi M, Ferretti F, Canale N, Marino C, Uvelli A, Lazzeri G. The effects of social isolation and problematic social media use on well-being in a sample of young Italian gamblers. J Prev Med Hyg. 2025;66(2):E153–E163.
• 9. Beranuy M, Machimbarrena JM, Vega-Osés MA, Carbonell X, Griffiths MD, Pontes HM, González-Cabrera J. Spanish validation of the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale–Short Form (IGDS9-SF): Prevalence and relationship with online gambling and quality of life. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(5):1562.
• 10. Oksanen A, Sirola A, Savolainen I, Kaakinen M. Gambling patterns and associated risk and protective factors among Finnish young people. Nordisk Alkohol Narkotikatidskr. 2019;36(2):161–176.
• 11. Mathieu S, Barrault S, Brunault P, Varescon I. The role of gambling type on gambling motives, cognitive distortions, and gambling severity in gamblers recruited online. PLoS One. 2020;15(10):e0238978. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0238978
• 12. Hamel A, Bastien C, Jacques C, Moreau A, Giroux I. Sleep or play online poker? Gambling behaviors and tilt symptoms while sleep deprived. Front Psychiatry. 2021;11:600092. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2020.600092
• 13. Karaıbrahımoglu A, Batmaz K, Kaçmaz E, Öztop R, Kişioğlu AN, Uskun E, et al. The Relatıonshıp Of Onlıne Gamblıng Addıctıon And Lonelıness: A Unıversıty Case From Turkıye. Med J SDU. 2023;30(3):410-23.
• 14. Kaya E, Deveci A. Parental acceptance/rejection perceptions and attachment styles of men with online gambling disorder. J Gambl Stud. 2022;38(3):817–832. doi:10.1007/s10899-021-10084-5
• 15. Aslan EA, Kilincel O. The effect of social isolation on psychological stress and gambling in the COVID-19 pandemic. Ann Clin Anal Med. 2021;12(1):30–35.
• 16. Amonhaemanon D. Financial stress and gambling motivation: the importance of financial literacy. Rev Behav Finance. 2024;16(2):248–265.
• 17. Koomson I, Churchill SA, Munyanyi ME. Gambling and financial stress. Soc Indic Res. 2022;163(1):473–503.
• 18. Hing N, Cherney L, Gainsbury SM, Lubman DI, Wood RT, Blaszczynski A. Maintaining and losing control during Internet gambling: a qualitative study of gamblers’ experiences. New Media Soc. 2015;17(7):1075–1095.
• 19. Tran LT, Wardle H, Colledge-Frisby S, Taylor S, Lynch M, Rehm J, et al. The prevalence of gambling and problematic gambling: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Public Health. 2024;9(8):e594–e613. doi:10.1016/S2468-2667(24)00126-9.
• 20. Puhm A, Romic M, Mardešić M, Petrenko R, Lainas S, Király O, et al. Risks and harms associated with online gaming and gambling. Strasbourg: Pompidou Group, Council of Europe; 2024.
• 21. Montiel I, Ortega-Barón J, Basterra-González A, González-Cabrera J, Machimbarrena JM. Problematic online gambling among adolescents: a systematic review about prevalence and related measurement issues. J Behav Addict. 2021;10(3):566–86. doi:10.1556/2006.2021.00055.
• 22. Koomson I, Churchill SA, Munyanyi ME. Gambling and financial stress. Soc Indic Res. 2022;163(5):473–503. doi:10.1007/s11205-022-02898-6.
• 23. Price A. Online gambling in the midst of COVID-19: a nexus of mental health concerns, substance use and financial stress. Int J Ment Health Addict. 2022;20(1):362–79. doi:10.1007/s11469-020-00366-1.
• 24. Siemens JC, Kopp SW. The influence of online gambling environments on self-control. J Public Policy Mark. 2011;30(2):279–93.
• 25. Griffiths MD. Internet gambling: issues, concerns, and recommendations. Cyberpsychol Behav. 2003;6(6):557–68. doi:10.1089/109493103322725333.
• 26. Abarbanel B, Johnson MR. Gambling engagement mechanisms in Twitch live streaming. Int Gambl Stud. 2020;20(3):393–413. doi:10.1080/14459795.2020.1766097.
• 27. Bolat E, Allcock A, Kelly O, Moseley M. Influencer-driven gambling content and its impact on children and young people: a call to action. Curr Addict Rep. 2025;12(1):1–10. doi:10.1007/s40429-024-00561-1.
• 28. Social Finance; Sherbert Research; GambleAware. Quantitative survey research with teenagers, young people and adults: exposure to gambling adverts and content in digital spaces. London; 2025.
• 29. Akat M. Mapping research on online gambling: a bibliometric analysis. Bağımlılık Derg. 2025;26(1):1–20.
• 30. Savolainen I, Savela N, Oksanen A. Perceived stress moderates spending money on digital games and gambling: a nationwide study of Finnish adults. Int Gambl Stud. 2023;Advance online publication. doi:10.1080/14459795.2023.2235413.