Exploring the Profile of Online Gamblers: Key Factors and the Role of Smartphone Addiction in Long‐Term Gambling Engagement

ABSTRACT The rapid expansion of online gambling has significantly impacted the gambling industry. However, concerns have arisen regarding how psychosocial factors and excessive smartphone use influence user behavior on online gambling platforms, which has highlighted the need for broader and long‐term studies. More nationally representative studies are needed to understand the motivations of consumers who transition from traditional gambling to online gambling. This paper presents two studies conducted through a nationally representative Spanish sample. The first study aimed to identify factors that differentiate online gamblers from non‐gamblers, like personality traits, psychological aspects (social support, smartphone addiction, depression), contextual influences (social neighborhood disorder), and demographics. The second study investigated the excessive and continuous use of smartphones on online gambling platforms over time. The results from the first study showed that online gamblers were less extraverted, more neurotic, had less social support, and exhibited higher smartphone addiction. These gamblers were likely to be male, younger, highly educated, and from socially disordered neighborhoods. The results of the second study showed that individuals who avoided online gambling services over five time panels were less likely to be smartphone addicts. While both genders exhibited similar gambling patterns, males showed less propensity for smartphone addiction. However, the relationship between online gambling and smartphone addiction remained consistent across genders. These findings index the critical role of tangled dynamics of technology consumption and gambling, providing insights for targeted prevention and intervention strategies.