Are Today’s Gamers Tomorrow’s Gamblers? The Relationship Between Problem Gaming and Online Problem Gambling, and the Indirect Effect of Purchasing Loot Boxes’ Risk

The present study aims to bridge the gap regarding the potential influence of problem gaming on problem gambling (PG) by examining the potential indirect effect of risky loot box use in this relationship. We also aim to examine these relationships in an understudied cultural context, that is, Eastern European, thus enlarging the current geographical scope of the research on problematic gaming and gambling. The research was conducted on a sample of 703 Romanians (56.5 percent male, 43.5 percent female), aged between 18 and 46 (<i>M</i> = 23.07; <i>SD</i> = 5.24), who play video games frequently. They completed instruments measuring problem gaming, online PG, and purchasing loot boxes risk. Our findings also indicate that risky engagement with loot box mechanism had a significant indirect effect on the association between the two types of problematic behavior (i.e., gaming and gambling). This suggests that excessive involvement in online gaming is linked with an increased propensity for problematic use of loot boxes, and further with a higher risk of PG. Our results indicate that higher involvement in video gaming may be associated with higher levels of risky engagement, which could plausibly lead to a greater likelihood of purchasing them and this more problematic relationship with loot boxes further increases the risk of PG. Our study contributes to advancing knowledge about these constructs while suggesting the negative impact of loot boxes in that their acquisition is related to higher involvement in online gambling.