You would think that land-based casinos would be more likely to encourage addictive behaviour, like indulging in alcohol, but a new study proves that this isn’t the case. Researchers at Concordia University have found that online gamblers are more likely to become addicted to alcohol and drugs than those who gamble in land-based casinos.
"There has been growing concern with the rise in online gambling and how this affects the health of our public," says Sylvia Kairouz of Concordia University.
The statistics were obtained using data from a 2009 gambling survey taken in Quebec. In it, a sample of offline gamblers and online gamblers were interviewed. Their weekly and monthly gambling habits were studied, in addition to their alcohol and substance abuse behaviour.
According to the findings of the study, online gamblers spent more time playing casino games than their offline counterparts. They were also found to indulge more in cannabis and alcohol. The study shows that online gamblers are more likely to take part in risky activities besides gambling.
It is a relatively small sample size, however. So, researchers are unsure whether gambling online causes this type of addictive behaviour or those with addictive tendencies gravitate to online casinos.
