The perception and impact of gambling among college students in Slovakia

Gambling behavior among college students is a complex phenomenon influenced by social environment, self-regulation skills, and the availability of online platforms.This article examines how students perceive the presence of gambling in their environment, assess their control over gambling, and associate the availability of online gambling with financial consequences.The research was conducted in the form of a quantitative electronic questionnaire survey among students of the Faculty of Management and Informatics at the University of ilina (n = 202).The results showed that most students have experience with gambling in their social environment, most often through friends, classmates, or family.More than half of the respondents perceive their control over gambling as complete, one-third as partial, and a smaller proportion admitted to occasional loss of control.Most students consider online gambling to be easily accessible, but only a minority reported financial problems because of gambling.The findings suggest that subjective perceptions of the presence of gambling and the ability to regulate one's own behavior are key factors in predicting problem gambling, while the availability of online platforms alone does not necessarily lead to economic consequences.The integration of social, behavioral, and financial dimensions provides a new perspective on the formation of gambling behavior in young adults and identifies areas important for prevention and intervention.