Introduction
Hook
The pandemic of online gambling is destroying the lives of today's youth at a drastically increasing rate (Montial et al., 2021).
General Information
<Gambling history>. With the rise of IT and internet capabilities, online gambling has become increasingly available for anyone with internet access around the world.
Specific Information
- Lose/win money at the comfort of one’s home – higher stakes, higher interest.
- Discuss range of online gambling
- Add market value statistics and growth rate.
Thesis Statement
This essay contains the following arguments:
- Online gambling brings about addiction and mental illnesses.
- Lack of regulations on deceptive marketing and its effects on youth gambling.
- Online gambling brings about negative financial consequences.
- Online gambling should indubitably be sanctioned by international government to regulate usage among youth, improve online safety and decrease widespread fraud.
Main Point 1: Mental health
1st Supporting Information - Addiction
Potential contribution to excessive gambling behaviors:
- Large wagers
- Continuous gambling
- Rapid feedback
- Easy access
Internet use, including gaming, has led to calls for further research and specific consideration for pathological Internet gambling due to similarities with other addictions. (Gainsbury, 2023)
2nd Supporting Information - Problem Gambling and Psychological Distress
depression, social isolation, strained relationships, diminished self-esteem (Livazović, 2019). Potential cause: FOMO (N.Lakić et al., 2023)
3rd Supporting Information - Cognitive Bias
Sunk Cost Fallacy (Tait, 2019)
Main Point 2: Negative Financial Consequences of Online Gambling
1st Supporting Information
Online gambling and money laundering (Sarfaraz Khan, 2022)
2nd Supporting Information
Gambling related consumer credit use and debt problems (Thomas & Sally, 2019)
3rd Supporting Information
Gambling and debt: the hidden impacts on family and work life (Carolyn & Ryan, 2010)
Main Point 3: Consumer Subjectivity
1st Supporting Information - Consumer Subjectivity
(Potolia, 2021) or (López-González, 2017)
- Skill-enhancing advertising
- Risk-lowering advertising
- Enticing colors, designs, wordplay
- Betting connected to 'harmless' activities (i.e., gaming, sports)
2nd Supporting Information - Online Influencers Prey on Vulnerable Teenagers
Twitch (Abarbanel & Johnson, 2020)
- Use online 'community', raffles, Bits.
- Twitch currency
- Exploitation of viewers
3rd Supporting Information - Dose-Response
'Dose-response' relationship between gambling advertising and gambling attitudes
(Bouguettaya et al.,2020)
Tie in: the risk of fraud and naïve youthful users - popular YouTuber accounts hacked,
fake cryptos were “sold” using Elon Musk's image.
Main Point 4 (Counterargument): Learning experiences
1st Supporting Information
In the context of online gambling, such as gacha games, there is KeqingMains website to
prove that there are players who take the game seriously and learned to reverse engineer
the game to maximize gains
What can be learned about gambling from a learning perspective? (Ramnero, 2019)
2nd Supporting Information
There are other, safer, alternatives to learning the same skills such as formal education like universities.
- Knowledge and skills
- Financial stability
- Career prospects
- Reduced risk of addiction
- Social and family relationships
- Legal and ethical consideration
- Emotional and mental well-being
(Scott et al., 2017)
3rd Supporting Information (Refutation)
Not all gambles can be predicted like horse betting. The risk is too high for practical
loss.
Gamblers tend to lose a lot of money making them realize that gambling is not profitable until
the urge of betting kicks them and they're up to throwing money around again.
Winning and losing in online gambling: effects on within-session chasing (Chen et al., 2022)
Conclusion
Summary of Main Points
Mental illnesses (psychological distress), unregulated deceptive marketing, and negative financial consequences.
Restate Stand and Thesis
[Online gambling should indubitably be sanctioned by international government to regulate usage among youth, improve online safety and decrease widespread fraud.]
Final Statement
Government should sanction online gambling amongst youth.
- Form strict and detailed policies on online gambling websites i.e., implement age detection outlines - users should provide ID before logging into OG sites. (Long login process and less anonymity may discourage young adults)
- Create an OG crime unit to enforce legal action on fraudulent OG websites.
- Promote anti-gambling campaigns amongst youth