The arrival of online games in France has multiplied by five the number of players at risk, according to surveys conducted by benchmark observatories.
Internet gambling players are more addicted than traditional gambling enthusiasts! According to the results of two surveys conducted at the end of 2012 by the French Observatory for Drugs and Drug Addiction (Ofdt) and the Observatory of Games (Odj), the proportion of people at risk of addiction stands at 17% among those who play these games on the web .
According to Ofdt, this prevalence is “much higher than that measured using the same tool on all players in 2010”, that is to say before the opening of online games, a period during which the ‘Odft had estimated the percentage of problem gamblers in the year at 2.8%. “This finding is consistent with that established by other foreign surveys”, recall the authors.
“This is partly explained by the fact that the vast majority of players on the traditional offer, who are much more numerous than those who play online, practice this activity occasionally, on types of games which induce little. risks of addiction, such as most lottery games, ”says Ofdt.
And the Observatory adds that “these new results confirm that these activities on the Internet are more at risk than on the traditional gambling offer and that this risk is further increased for certain categories of gambling, in particular those which are not part of the open field and regulated by law ”. Problem gambling online appears, according to the authors, to be more common with slot machines and traditional casino games, games that are part of the illegal gambling offer. Poker, a legal activity, is for its part in third position and, conversely, scratch and draw games are those which generate the fewest problematic players.
The profile of the players
As with traditional games, problem gamblers on the Internet tend to be men (57%). But the web is a tool for the younger generations. The median age for the first online experience is 33. It is, however, lower among poker players.
Almost 4 online players 10 are under 35, compared to just over 3 in 10 for the traditional game. Finally, online players are often single, and more educated than traditional players.
In conclusion, the authors of the study estimate that 3.7% of the French population plays games of money and chance on the internet, two years after the adoption of a regulatory framework, for sports betting. , horse betting and poker.
In terms of solutions, they advise “to monitor developments in online gambling and the prevalence of problem gambling through regular and targeted surveys, to develop prevention measures adapted to certain specific audiences for online games ( women, young people, higher social categories), but also, to strengthen the fight against illegal offerings and to reflect on the modalities of action against the abuses of free sites ”.
.
