Exploring Internet Gambling : Policy, Prevention and Treatment

Internet gambling has emerged as the most radical change to gambling in recent years. Interactive gambling opportunities using computers and wireless devices have transformed the ways in which players engage in gambling. The technological advances that have allowed gambling to expand across physical borders and beyond venues has had a profound impact on gambling policy, regulation, research, treatment and prevention strategies. This book provides a compilation of current research findings by prominent international researchers, including the incidence of Internet gambling, how online gambling is used, sub-groups of online gamblers, and the difference between Internet and non-Internet gamblers in the general population and among treatment-seekers.

This book is highly relevant for researchers, students, regulators, policy makers, gambling industry operators, treatment providers and community groups interested in research findings relevant to online gambling. It was originally published as a special issue of International Gambling Studies.

Sally Gainsbury is a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in the Centre for Gambling Education and Research at Southern Cross University, Australia. Dr. Gainsbury is Associate Editor of International Gambling Studies and serves on the board of the International Society of Addiction Journal Editors and the International Society of Managing & Technical Editors.

Alex Blaszczynski is Professor of Clinical Psychology and the Director of the Gambling Clinic and Research Unit at the University of Sydney, Australia. He is Editor of International Gambling Studies and has published widely on many aspects of the psychology of gambling and responsible gambling strategies.