A Systematic Review of Gambling Amongst Elite Athletes With A Focus On Females
Session Title
Poster session
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Start Date
27-5-2026 12:00 AM
Abstract
Research interest has grown around the subject of gambling among elite athletes, with studies showing higher problem gambling rates among this cohort compared with the general population. There is little research focusing on elite female athletes and whether the factors that influence gambling differ between males and females. Considering the rapid growth of professionalisation of female sport, this systematic review aims to identify what is known about gambling amongst elite athletes, males and females, and what methodologies have been used to investigate this research topic. This study followed the PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews and the search was conducted in 3 electronic databases: Scopus, PsycINFO and PubMed, and a further control search on Google Scholar. Overall, 16 papers met the inclusion criteria. Most studies captured data either only from or almost exclusively from male athletes. Only 5 papers had gender balanced samples, and they utilised a quantitative research design, guided by a psychological/pathological perspective. Male athletes were found to be more likely to develop a gambling problem compared with female athletes. Within the qualitative studies, gambling culture at sports clubs was identified as a key factor influencing male athletes to gamble, but it could not be concluded whether this is also the case for female athletes. More work is needed to determine whether sports related factors can contribute to gambling problems for female athletes.
A Systematic Review of Gambling Amongst Elite Athletes With A Focus On Females
Research interest has grown around the subject of gambling among elite athletes, with studies showing higher problem gambling rates among this cohort compared with the general population. There is little research focusing on elite female athletes and whether the factors that influence gambling differ between males and females. Considering the rapid growth of professionalisation of female sport, this systematic review aims to identify what is known about gambling amongst elite athletes, males and females, and what methodologies have been used to investigate this research topic. This study followed the PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews and the search was conducted in 3 electronic databases: Scopus, PsycINFO and PubMed, and a further control search on Google Scholar. Overall, 16 papers met the inclusion criteria. Most studies captured data either only from or almost exclusively from male athletes. Only 5 papers had gender balanced samples, and they utilised a quantitative research design, guided by a psychological/pathological perspective. Male athletes were found to be more likely to develop a gambling problem compared with female athletes. Within the qualitative studies, gambling culture at sports clubs was identified as a key factor influencing male athletes to gamble, but it could not be concluded whether this is also the case for female athletes. More work is needed to determine whether sports related factors can contribute to gambling problems for female athletes.