The evolution of young gambling studies: digital convergence of gaming, gambling and cryptocurrency technologies

ABSTRACT

This paper provides an overview of how the focus of youth gambling research has evolved since the foundational work of the 1990s. Over the last two decades, research in youth gambling has advanced from having a principal focus on under-aged access to adult commercial activities to understanding the impact of gambling-like content in social media and gaming. The process of digital convergence and ‘gamblification’ has blurred the boundaries between activities, and the rise of gambling and gaming ecosystems. Research suggests that early exposure to gambling-like content (e.g. loot boxes or social casino games) may lead to a transition to commercial gambling. Here we provide an overview of current evidence, important technological developments and conceptual analyses; and, current directions in digital technology and their potential impact. The potential now exists for the merging of multiple classes of activity: gaming, gambling and speculative trading as a result of blockchain technology. The paper underscores the importance of the need for future studies to capture the breadth of gambling and gambling-like activities available to young people. It also indicates that pathways into gambling may arise within other population groups (e.g. gamers, digital asset investors) rather than from direct exposure to commercial gambling products.

KEYWORDS:

• Gaming
• gambling
• cryptocurrency
• blockchain
• gamblification
• youth

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. The halving refers to a doubling of the difficulty of hash solution for Bitcoin miners. In effect, a longer hash value has to be solved which requires greater computational power. The Bitcoin supply being produced is decreased and this usually leads to price appreciation which carries the entire cryptocurrency market higher.

2. Examples include horse racing games (DeRace, Pexaxy), Kart Racing League, or Spidertanks (Gala Games).

Additional information

Funding

No funding sources were declared by the authors in relation to this manuscript.

Notes on contributors

Paul Delfabbro

Paul Delfabbro graduated from the University of Adelaide with degrees in Arts, Commerce and Economics and a PhD in psychology. He has published extensively in several areas, including the psychology of gambling, child protection and child welfare and applied cognition.

Daniel King

Daniel King is an Associate Professor in the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work at Flinders University. He has over 150 refereed papers in behavioural addictions and has been a regular consultant for the WHO in relation to the measurement and classification of gaming and internet-related disorders.