Problematic Online Betting Among Turkish Adolescents
Publication details
| Year: | 2019 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10899-018-9793-8 |
| Issued: | 2018 |
| Language: | English |
| Volume: | 35 |
| Start Page: | 31 |
| End Page: | 45 |
| Editors: | |
| Authors: | Aricak O. |
| Type: | Journal article |
| Journal: | Journal of Gambling Studies |
| Publisher: | Springer Science and Business Media LLC |
| Topics: | Internet usage, practices and engagement |
| Sample: | We surveyed 6116 adolescents aged between 12 and 18 in Istanbul, asking if they are problematic Internet users for betting. Since there is no scale to measure online gambling or betting for adolescents in Turkey, we used a survey consisting of questions related to the online betting and Internet Addiction Scale (Gunuc and Kayri 2010). We employed a median (Q2= 68.50) plus two quarter deviations (QD = 18.125) as a cut-off point (105) in the IA Scale, according to developers of the Scale. Although 756 (12.4%) adolescents reported that they play online betting, only 176 adolescents (2.9%) were classified as problematic Internet users, according to IA cut-off score. Thus, we collected data from 176 adolescents, and all statistical analyses were performed on this sample. Twenty six of the participants (14.8%) were female and 150 (85.2%) were male. Mean age of participants was 15.30 ± 1.84; 8.5% were 12, 11.9% were 13, 13.6% were 14, 17.6% were 15, 16.5% were 16, 18.8% were 17, and 13.1% were 18 years old. 34.7% (n = 61) were studying in middle school, and 65.3% (n = 115) were studying in high school. |
| Implications For Stakeholders About: | Researchers |
Abstract
Problematic online betting among adolescents has attracted considerable public attention internationally for the last two decades. Although the online betting prevalence rate in Turkey is unclear, some reports indicate that it could be more pervasive than is currently estimated. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of problematic online betting, common behaviors of youth related to betting, and to identify the effect of family on online betting among Turkish adolescents. We surveyed 6116 adolescents aged between 12 and 18 in Istanbul to determine if they are problematic Internet users for betting. Although 756 (12.4%) adolescents reported that they play online betting, only 176 adolescents (2.9%) were classified as problematic Internet users. Thus, we collected further data from those 176 adolescents, 14.8% of which were female. A significant positive correlation was found between Internet Addiction (IA) and duration of betting. Almost 61% of participants expressed that they prefer to be online because they do not have better things to do. Almost a quarter of the participants started online betting between 10 and 12 years of age. All participants know someone who bets online. In terms of frequency, these are friends, relatives, siblings, and parents, respectively. Although there is no relationship between family structure and IA among adolescents who are problematic users, participants who live in an unstable family have higher IA scores than participants who live in a stable family.
Outcome
"This study is the first large scale screening research on problematic online betting in Turkey. 2.9% of the surveyed sample were classified as probable problematic Internet users for betting. This rate is consistent with prevalence rates in other countries."
"A significant positive correlation was found between IA and duration of betting. Consistent with this, there was a significant difference between problematic Internet users and other non-problematic users in terms of IA scores and duration of online betting. Problematic players have higher IA scores and spend more time of betting."
"Almost 61% of participants express that they prefer to be online because they do not have better thing to do. Considerable research on gambling indicates that boredom is one of the main factors contributing to gambling."
(Aricak, 2019, p.39)