Generation Z and Gambling: A Bibliometric Study of Social and Economic Consequences
Session Title
Poster session
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Start Date
27-5-2026 12:00 AM
Abstract
This study on gambling among Generation Z (Gen Z) using a bibliometric analysis of publications in Scopus database from 2012 to 2025 found that research on Gen Z gambling addiction has grown steadily, highlighting risk-taking behaviors, pathological gambling, decision-making, and cultural aspects. Gen Z, as digital natives (Moravec et al., 2025), integrate gambling seamlessly into their digital lives, often perceiving it as part of broader entertainment culture involving gaming, and e-sports, which distinguishes their gambling habits from previous generations (Antonio et al., 2025; Wardle et al., 2024). This integration is characterized by a preference for fast, interactive, and gamified formats, with gambling serving also as a form of identity expression and social connection within micro-communities. Even though legalized gambling may provide modest economic advantages, such as short-term growth in employment, tax revenue, and per capita income within the hospitality sector, social and individual negative impacts remain significantly harder to quantify (Walker & Sobel, 2016). Because Gen Z cohort will make up a large portion of the future workforce, individual harms of lost earnings, greater demand for mental‑health services, and disrupted career trajectories accumulate into acute socio‑economic consequences for households, employers, and public systems, highlighting an acute need for targeted prevention, regulation, and early intervention (Baran et al., 2012).
Generation Z and Gambling: A Bibliometric Study of Social and Economic Consequences
This study on gambling among Generation Z (Gen Z) using a bibliometric analysis of publications in Scopus database from 2012 to 2025 found that research on Gen Z gambling addiction has grown steadily, highlighting risk-taking behaviors, pathological gambling, decision-making, and cultural aspects. Gen Z, as digital natives (Moravec et al., 2025), integrate gambling seamlessly into their digital lives, often perceiving it as part of broader entertainment culture involving gaming, and e-sports, which distinguishes their gambling habits from previous generations (Antonio et al., 2025; Wardle et al., 2024). This integration is characterized by a preference for fast, interactive, and gamified formats, with gambling serving also as a form of identity expression and social connection within micro-communities. Even though legalized gambling may provide modest economic advantages, such as short-term growth in employment, tax revenue, and per capita income within the hospitality sector, social and individual negative impacts remain significantly harder to quantify (Walker & Sobel, 2016). Because Gen Z cohort will make up a large portion of the future workforce, individual harms of lost earnings, greater demand for mental‑health services, and disrupted career trajectories accumulate into acute socio‑economic consequences for households, employers, and public systems, highlighting an acute need for targeted prevention, regulation, and early intervention (Baran et al., 2012).