Inbound 4350575050026581973
Inbound 4350575050026581973
1
Research Scholar, Department of Criminology, Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences,
Coimbatore - 641114, India. pranavprakash750@[Link], ORC ID: 0009-0008-5217-683X
2
Assistant Professor, Shri Vaishnav Institute of Forensic Sciences, Shri Vaishnav Vidhyapeeth
Vishwavidhayala, Indore – 453111, India, Email ID: surbhigirdhar@[Link],
3
Assistant Professor, PG Department of English, Naipunnya Institute of Management and Information
Technology, Thrissur- 680308, India. frantony@[Link], ORC ID: 0000-0003-0345-3710
930 Pranav Prakash, Surbhi Girdhar & Antony Jose
instant lotteries, bingo, betting on billiards or pool, card games, private sports
betting /sports lotteries, casino games, video lottery terminals, internet gambling,
dice etc. Online gambling can be defined as being involved in betting on casinos or
sports over the internet. It is also known as Internet Gambling or e-gambling.
Usually, credit cards are used to place the bet, and wins or losses are enjoyed
thereby (Kumar, 2020).
Contrary to popular belief, research and clinical work shows that money is
not only the reason teenagers gamble (Aris et al., 2019; Auer & Griffiths, 2023;
Cooper, 2023; Derevensky & Gilbeau, 2015; Emond & Griffiths, 2020; Kang et al.,
2019; Kim et al., 2017; Ricijas et al., 2016; Wu, 2023). Money is used as a means
to pursue gambling activities. Mostly the adolescents play the game for fun, and
excitement for making money. Those who are involved in gambling activities and
experience gambling problems say that they play it to escape and to forget about
their problems. Gambling activities lead to addiction when it is played
continuously. There are games which are played with luck and skill-based. Games
of luck are games in which the results depend, either partially or totally, on luck.
Practice does not increase a person's chance of winning, and a player's knowledge
or skill has little or no control over the result. The nature of luck-based games is
such that all events are unique and independent. Examples include bingo, roulette,
the lottery and the slot machines. Games of skills are games in which a certain level
of knowledge is required, the player can at least in part, control the result of a
certain game. Practice can make a person a better player. For example, sports are
considered games of skill (soccer, golf, billiards etc.) As well as other games such
as chess, some board games and card games.
Teenagers engage in both regulated and non-regulated forms of gambling.
Provincial lotteries are offered, and organized and are under the direct supervision
of the state or country. While there are regional and national differences, it is
generally prohibited to let minors participate in any of these types of activities.
Other forms of non-regulated gambling activities include skill-based games, dice,
sports betting and card games amongst peers. The most popular form of gambling
among high school students was card games, followed by instant lotteries, skill-
based activities, sports betting and bingo. Girls tend to gamble less than boys, but in
proportion, boys are more likely to be involved in it. Boys prefer cards, sports
betting and skill-based activities, whereas girls are more interested in instant
lotteries, cards and bingo. Online gambling allows unlimited access to any
gambling platform and this can cause very much problems. Due to its ease of
concealment, internet gambling addiction is more likely to develop. Since it doesn't
interfere with their ability to work or participate in social activities, online gamblers
might not even be aware that they have a problem. Friends and family members
Pakistan Journal of Criminology 931
may not even be aware that their loved one gambles and therefore can't help them.
There are a lot of risk factors in the case of online gambling because of the
widespread opportunities in cyberspace. Participation in online gambling continues
to increase in tandem with its deregulation, prolific advertising, the widespread
uptake of computer and mobile technologies, and increased availability of high-
speed internet access (Gainsbury et al., 2013; Hing et al., 2017; Wood & Williams,
2009).
The appropriate mechanisms must be adopted in the case of online
gambling organisations. As a result of this scenario, good governance will help to
limit the effect of crimes which is happening because of online gambling
organisations and their wider society (Banks, 2012). Online gaming has gained very
much popularity and acceptance and in the case of the virtual world, online
gambling has touched its highest level. Internet access is nowadays easy and it
makes online gaming easier this can cause addiction and may lead to online abuse.
The impact of addiction and different types of online gaming disorders among
youth in Kerala has been analysed. The whole study has concluded that online
gaming has its pros and cons in the case of our real world (Aswathy et al., 2019).
The Research has been carried out in the case of the approach to conduct an
assessment among young adults in the case of online gambling and the transition
starts from social casino games to online gambling and it has been carried out by
making the young adults into focus groups. The demographic details, frequency of
gambling their understanding of online gambling and the incentives which attended
them towards it. The transitions can have negative impacts on society (Kim et al.,
2017).
The anonymity in the case of bitcoin transactions has played a part in case
of the criminals engaging in unlawful activities. Darknet is defined as a small part
of the deep web, which is unable to be approached using standard web browsers.
Illegal online gambling operations are being carried out without any tracing. The
Routine activity theory (Cohen & Felson, 1979), is being taken for a better
understanding of Illegal online gambling activity and they could explain the
incident of crime. Anonymous gambling causes many problems such as illegal
operators, adolescent gambling, fraud or money laundering. Effective
implementations want to be done in case of the Digital Forensics Updating. From
the information from 53 sites on the surface web and dark web, the analysis was
conducted. Illegal online gambling trends and patterns help understand future
operations and activities (Choi et al., 2020).
The accessibility of the internet and social media has significantly
contributed towards the growth of Online gambling platforms. The monetary
features are being used mostly in the case of gambling and stimulate gambling
932 Pranav Prakash, Surbhi Girdhar & Antony Jose
activities and the interaction between gamblers and gamers is also increased. The
including of both gambling and gaming for comparison in understanding these
communities and their differences. The role of Virtual gambling communities in
gaming behaviour, the role of Virtual gaming communities in monetary gaming
behaviour and the major qualitative differences between virtual gambling and
gaming communities have been analysed. Both qualitative and quantitative and
mixed method studies are included in the whole data. Increasing awareness is
essential for all people in society to reduce excessive behaviour and money
consumption (Sirola et al., 2021). The vast growth in technology and feasibility of
the internet has enhanced the Online gambling industry a lot and many of them
argue in the case of its Regulation and Prohibition. The problem of no proper
Central legislation in the case of Online gambling is also a major problem. Even the
Law Commission Report states that it is very problematic to ban all the activities
because of the nature of the technology and its reach among the common society.
Many legal aspects can be implemented in case of the online gambling and this will
make the extensive use of this industry for illegal activities more complicated
(Anand, 2018).
The highly profitable nature of Internet gambling has proliferated the
participation of people in it. The compulsive gaming nature has emerged in youth
populations and cybercrimes are being happened widely. Regulations are to be
made in case of the internet gambling and a complete banning is impossible it will
be ineffective and benefits will be yielded by the government through proper
Regulations. Proper implementation of laws will even contribute to the economy of
the government (Fidelie, 2009). Online gambling includes a wide range of activities
and the operative nature of the gambling company is for substantial profit.
Problems and benefits of online gambling will create an impact in the case of
gamblers. Regulations in case of the online gambling can be done with suitable
employees, provision of identification, fair practices, respondent gaming and anti-
money laundering. Various countries have different legislations in the case of
online gambling. The debates regarding case of regulation and prohibition of online
gambling are continuing. COVID-19 has created a huge impact even in case of the
gambling, and among high-risk online gamblers it has created many psychological
Issues. There is a highly problematic nature which affects the gambling status,
mental health, financial difficulties and risky substance use among online gamblers.
The prevention of harm and mitigation efforts from the side of decision-makers will
only enhance gambling harm prevention in COVID-19 time (Price et al., 2023).
The study has been focussing on the case of behavioural addictions, and
treatment considerations and also focusses on the future directions. The
enhancement and diagnosis in case of the identification of behavioural addictions is
Pakistan Journal of Criminology 933
very important and may reduce the public health burden of this kind of condition.
Gambling disorders which lead to behavioural addiction are very impactful among
problematic gamblers (Yau & Potenza, 2015). Internet gambling has created
problems among the youth in case of Risk-involved gambling and gambling
activities with and without money. The students who have gambled on the Internet
have more Risk-taking attitudes than the non-gamblers. More attention is needed to
those who have the characteristics to be involved in internet gambling. As with any
other addiction prevention strategies, there must be some initiatives for Internet
gambling activities mostly in the case of the young age groups (Mcbride &
Derevensky, 2012).
Online gambling has opened the doors for entrepreneurs to be involved in
fraud, theft, extortion and money laundering in the gambling sites. This study
through a questionnaire survey investigates the exponential growth of online
gambling. The objective of the study is to bring out the demographic variables’
influence on online gambling addiction among college Students.
The interesting factor on time spent gaming is that 61% of the respondents
spend 3-4 hours a day for online games, and 21% of them more than 4 hours. 70%
of the respondents use cash bonuses for playing further. Cash bonuses attract
students. When analysing the data processed on cash bonuses with respect to
938 Pranav Prakash, Surbhi Girdhar & Antony Jose
playing hours, those who get cash bonuses play 4 or more hours when compared to
those who don’t have cash bonuses as shown in chart 3 below:
Conclusion
College students in Kerla are prone to be involved in Online Gambling
Games. This may be due to different reasons. First of all, although the State law
940 Pranav Prakash, Surbhi Girdhar & Antony Jose
restricts gambling, it does not ban them. Another reason is as data analysis shows,
90% of the respondents play the games through their mobile phones and phones are
readily available among college students and all of them are very active on social
media. Being able to easily access gaming at any time of day, from any location,
and using any device with internet connectivity makes online gambling more
preferred among college students. As the data reveals 82% of the respondents enter
the gambling apps through links shared on social media platforms. So, the chances
of being involved in the games are greater. Indeed, awareness of Online Gaming
laws and regulations, financial fraud involved in the games, and the possibility of
victimhood are very low. Thus, effective measures should be taken to make the
students aware of the real situations they are in. Following are some of the
recommendations:
Strong cyber law implementation and consistent updating are needed to
prevent victimhood.
Encourage parents and mentors to monitor the use of digital gadgets among
their students.
Awareness sessions for students on online Gaming laws and regulations,
financial fraudulence and the possibility of victimhood can be
implemented.
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