The Erosion of nongambling spheres by smartphone gambling: A qualitative study on workplace and domestic disordered gambling

Abstract

The potential dangers of internet-based gambling as compared to more traditional landbased gambling have been increasingly investigated over the past decade. The general consensus appears to be that, while internet gambling might not be a more dangerous medium for gambling per se, the 24/7 availability it generates for problem gamblers, is. However, since smartphones have become the most used way to gamble online, internet gambling must be further subcategorised regarding the device of access. This study examines the issue by exploring the views of smartphone gamblers undergoing treatment for gambling disorder in focus group settings (N=35). Utilising thematic analysis, the paper shows that smartphone gambling has colonised spaces previously regarded as nongambling spheres. The workplace, especially in male-dominated contexts, emerged as an accommodator and stimulator of gambling behaviour, raising issues of productivity rather than criminality. Domestic gambling was mostly characterised by an invasion of bathroom and bedtime spheres of intimacy. The study examines the implications for prevention and treatment, focusing on the minimisation of exposure to gambling stimuli, the erosion of intimacy that recovering gamblers must endure, and the necessity to embrace a broader definition of gambling-related harm.