By 2028, global losses caused by online gambling websites are forecast to reach US$700 billion. This was the warning issued by an international commission assembled by the scientific journal Lancet Public Health, which highlights the growing reach of online gambling due to widespread access to smartphones, legalization, and the arrival of commercial betting in new parts of the world. This includes low- and middle-income countries, where regulatory infrastructure is often weak and gambling companies often use digital influencer campaigns. “Gambling, in some form at least, is now legally permitted in more than 80% of countries worldwide,” wrote the authors. As a result, 10.3% of teenagers have gambled online, while 5.5% of women and 11.9% of men have engaged in risky gambling. An estimated 80 million adults worldwide suffer from gambling-related disorders. The damage to health and well-being is more extensive than previously thought and affects other people around the gambler (see Pesquisa FAPESP issue nº 344). The report calls for greater preventive regulatory controls, which can only be effective when coordinated globally (Lancet Public Health, October 24).
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