Online betting has become the second leading cause of treatment for gambling addiction in Spain. The practice of online sports betting is fully consolidated in our country. The number of players operating online has doubled in the last year, and with it, the cases of dependence on this new form of gambling.
Online Betting in Spain
In 2016, in Spain, 5.1% of the adult population (equivalent to 1.8 million people) tried their luck with this type of online betting, compared to 3.8% registered in 2015. Players are mostly men (9.1% compared to 1.1% women), young (more than half are under 35), many of them university students, and from all social groups. Each one spends an average of 243 euros annually in an industry that in 2016 alone allocated 98 million to advertising and promotion.
Everyone who enters and tries online betting is exposed to the risk of getting hooked on online gambling. They believe they have found an easy way to make money while watching their team play. They start betting small amounts and end up losing control. Playing is anonymous, and there are endless modalities to bet on: football, basketball, tennis… even sports they don’t know. Access is easy, and temptations are continuous. Ads assault users’ screens with every click, advertising constantly bombards any internet page, social networks, match broadcasts, and even billboards in football stadiums; even athletes themselves are the image of many betting houses.
Why are online games addictive?
The main reason for their power is that they bring together a series of characteristics that give them a much faster and more intense addictive potential than any other in-person gambling modality.
- It allows you to play alone.
- The brevity of the time elapsed between the bet and the result, which acts as immediate reinforcement.
- The possibility of placing a low-value bet.
- The ease of playing through any device and its 24-hour availability.
- It provides privacy. You alone, in front of the computer, or with the discretion provided by mobile apps, without worrying about what people around you will think.
Although it cannot be said that everyone who starts sports betting ends up becoming gambling addicts, the truth is that according to experts, 2.5% of those who start playing end up developing an addiction. There are certain personal factors that predispose a person to develop an addictive behavior, among them, those with a marked impulsive character, who like strong sensations, or who generally tend to try new experiences.
Likewise, those who have excessive free time or present a certain emotional void are more prone to developing this disorder.
The feeling of security and control in online betting
The small amounts of money handled in online betting at first are accompanied by a false sense of security “I can quit gambling whenever I want.” Each winning bet brings an emotional high. More than 40% of users who start sports betting limit the amount of money they can bet, as a way to set restrictions and use external factors to exert control. However, more than half of them, within a few months, end up not respecting it, thus spending higher amounts than initially established. Without hardly realizing it, they get into a vicious circle. With each bet, they play more money, and losses are increasingly greater. They live glued to their mobile phones, waiting for results.
Symptoms of online betting addictions
Their mood changes constantly, becoming emotionally dependent on their own bets. They become withdrawn, isolating themselves in a room for long periods. Academic or work performance decreases considerably. They start with insignificant amounts and end up spending their salary, allowances if they have them, and even end up taking money from family members they live with. They enter a spiral of lies to cover their own actions, avoid arguments at home, or deny the problem they have.
How to tackle online addictions?
ISEP offers the Master in Clinical and Health Psychology, which addresses addictions such as gambling addiction. If you want more information about it, you can do so by clicking here.деньги в долг на карту по паспорту