Online Gambling New Developments

Guest Topic Editor Marie Grall-Bronnec has declared that the University Hospital of Nantes has received funding from the gambling industry (FDJ and PMU) in the form of a philanthropic sponsorship (donations that do not assign purpose of use). All other Guest Topic Editors declare no competing interests with regards to the Research Topic subject.

Internet gambling is one of the fastest growing forms of gambling. Global Internet gambling expenditure is predicted to reach US$33.6 billion in 2011. This is higher than worldwide movie box office revenues and represents 9% of the international gambling market. The rapid increase in expenditure of 354% since 2003 has occurred despite Internet gambling being prohibited in several key markets, including the US and China. It also suggests that current regulation may be somewhat outdated and ineffective as more and more people turn to this mode of gambling. Internet gambling is highly accessible with over 2,400 sites available 24/7 through computers, mobile phones, wireless devices and even interactive televisions. Gamblers can now play casino games, bingo, cards and poker, bet on races, sports and even celebrity weddings using over 199 means of electronic payments without leaving the house. Increasing international jurisdictions are legalizing Internet gambling and the constant accessibility of online gambling has critical social implications. Gambling operators are using aggressive advertising campaigns to move into new markets. Internet gambling appears to be particularly appealing to youth, who are gambling online at substantially higher rates than adults. Furthermore, Internet gambling appears to be related to problem gambling, with rates of problem gambling three to four times higher among Internet than non-Internet gamblers, indicating that it may have a substantial social cost. The anonymity of online sports betting poses a significant threat to the integrity of sport at all levels with increasing allegations of match-fixing and cheating. Estimates suggested that 50% of all bets on the 2010 FIFA World Cup were placed online, worth an estimated £500 million. These figures represent a 700% rise in online betting since the 2006 tournament and included many new players that opened online accounts. It is essential that appropriate responses are made by governments, industry professionals and the public in response to Internet gambling. This book will provide a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of Internet gambling, including the social impact and regulatory options. A global outline will include the characteristics and features of the many forms of Internet gambling, including the current market, and participation, and differences between Internet and non-Internet gambling. Specific regional considerations will be explored including regulatory responses and options. Importantly, the social consequences and costs of Internet gambling will be examined, including the impact of online gambling on sports, youth and problem gambling. Strategies for prevention and responsible gambling will be considered as well as expected trends.

Offering the first empirically driven assessment of the development, marketisation, regulation and use of online gambling organisations and their products, this book explores the relationship between online gambling and crime. It draws upon quantitative and qualitative data, including textual and visual analyses of e-gambling advertising and the records of player-protection and standards organisations, together with a virtual ethnography of online gambling subcultures, to examine the ways in which gambling and crime have been approached in practice by gamers, regulatory agencies and online gambling organisations. Building upon contemporary criminological theory, it develops an understanding of online gambling as an arena in which risks and rewards are carefully constructed and through which players navigate, employing their own agency to engage with the very real possibility of victimisation. With attention to the manner in which online gambling can be a source of criminal activity, not only on the part of players, but also criminal entrepreneurs and legitimate gambling businesses, Online Gambling and Crime discusses developments in criminal law and regulatory frameworks, evaluating past and present policy on online gambling. A rich examination of the prevalence, incidence and experience of a range of criminal activities linked to gambling on the Internet, this book will appeal to scholars and policy makers in the fields of sociology and criminology, law, the study of culture and subculture, risk, health studies and social policy.

"This book sets out a framework for the economic analysis of different funding sources. It examines a series of new and controversial proposals, including global taxes such as a carbon tax, a global lottery, pre-commitment of aid, increased private donations, and increased remittances by emigrants"--Provided by publisher.

Internet gambling is a rapidly growing phenomenon, which has profound social, psychological, economic, political, and policy implications. Until recently, Internet gambling has been understudied by the research community, but now a growing body of literature is emerging, on all aspects of Internet gambling and its attendant implications. As jurisdictions around the world grapple to understand the best way to respond to Internet gambling from a commercial, regulatory, and social perspective, scholarly studies of Internet gambling are becoming an ever more crucial resource. The Handbook of Internet Gambling consolidates this emerging body of literature into a single reference volume. Its twenty chapters comprise groundbreaking contributions from the world’s leading authorities in the commercial, clinical, political and social aspects of Internet gambling. It is sure to be a foundational resource for academics, students, regulators, politicians, policy makers, commercial providers, and health care professionals who have an interest in understanding the history, dynamics, and impacts of Internet gambling in a global context.

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.

This book provides a number of differing views on the consequences of the stream of gambling related case-law from the European Court of Justice and political debates alongside current regulatory developments occurring within five Member States.