Pay to Play: Behavioral and Demographic Patterns in Problematic Gambling, Sports Betting, and Within-Title Video Game Spending
Session Title
Youth Gambling: College & Sports Betting
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation
Start Date
26-5-2026 12:00 AM
Abstract
Since a federal ruling in 2018, legalized online sports betting in the US generated $26 billion of revenue in 2025. A parallel digital market is in video gaming, where in-game transactions comprised $30 billion in the US in 2025. Some in-game purchasing mechanics have risk-reward pathways identical to gambling, where real money is spent for outcomes that are not guaranteed, such as loot boxes and gachas. Research has established parallels to gambling for these types of purchases, including connections to problematic behaviors. To better understand the links between sports betting, in-game transactions, and problematic gambling, this study examined the overlap of these activities across individuals from diverse demographics. Over 500 online participants were selected for either video game play or sports betting. They reported frequency of sports betting, in-game purchasing, and completed the PGSI, a measure of gambling harm. Higher PGSI scores were associated with greater sports betting and in-game spending (rhos>.5). Behaviors varied by demographics, with higher scores for men (all measures), those identifying as Black compared to White (all measures) and Asian (sports betting), and older individuals (sports betting). This suggests that underlying mechanisms shared by sports betting and video game transactions are associated with problematic behaviors. We posit that demographic differences may be due to beliefs and norms associated within subcultures of these groups.
Pay to Play: Behavioral and Demographic Patterns in Problematic Gambling, Sports Betting, and Within-Title Video Game Spending
Since a federal ruling in 2018, legalized online sports betting in the US generated $26 billion of revenue in 2025. A parallel digital market is in video gaming, where in-game transactions comprised $30 billion in the US in 2025. Some in-game purchasing mechanics have risk-reward pathways identical to gambling, where real money is spent for outcomes that are not guaranteed, such as loot boxes and gachas. Research has established parallels to gambling for these types of purchases, including connections to problematic behaviors. To better understand the links between sports betting, in-game transactions, and problematic gambling, this study examined the overlap of these activities across individuals from diverse demographics. Over 500 online participants were selected for either video game play or sports betting. They reported frequency of sports betting, in-game purchasing, and completed the PGSI, a measure of gambling harm. Higher PGSI scores were associated with greater sports betting and in-game spending (rhos>.5). Behaviors varied by demographics, with higher scores for men (all measures), those identifying as Black compared to White (all measures) and Asian (sports betting), and older individuals (sports betting). This suggests that underlying mechanisms shared by sports betting and video game transactions are associated with problematic behaviors. We posit that demographic differences may be due to beliefs and norms associated within subcultures of these groups.