Samuel Researches Gambling Harm Reduction in Online Spaces

May 28, 2025

Abstract

Objectives

Globally, there has been a rapid increase in the availability of online gambling. As online gambling has increased in popularity, there has been a corresponding increase in online communities that discuss gambling. The movement of gambling and communities interested in gambling to online spaces presents new challenges to harm reduction. The current study analyses a forum from a popular online forum hosting website (reddit.com) to determine its suitability as a source for data to inform gambling harm reduction in online spaces.

Methods

The current study provides an exploratory analysis of 1,141 unique posts and 11,668 comments collected from the online forum r/onlinegambling. The dataset covers posts and comments from August 5, 2015, to October 30, 2023. Natural language processing (NLP) techniques were used to identify common terms and phrases, identify topics with high rates of participant engagement and perform a sentiment analysis of posts and comments.

Results

Sentiment analysis results showed that the majority of posts and comments were positive, but there were substantial numbers of negative and neutral content. Positive content was often congratulatory and focused on winning, neutral posts more commonly focused on practical advice, and negative posts were more commonly concerned with avoiding operators perceived as illegitimate by forum participants.

Conclusions

Results from this study show that there is a varied and robust discussion of different aspects of gambling on r/onlinegambling. Our exploratory analyses suggest that this reddit forum provides important information on how users communicate motivations to gamble, interpretations of gambling experiences, and define potential harms related to gambling online as well as how to avoid or remedy those harms. Reddit forums discussing gambling have great potential for future research interested in more specific aspects of harm reduction and prevention related to online gambling, particularly when using NLP techniques.

Citation

van der Maas, M., Samuel, J. Online gambling forums as a potential target for harm reduction: an exploratory natural language processing analysis of a reddit.com forum. Harm Reduct J 22, 77 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12954-025-01220-0

 

 

Recent Posts

Zhang et al. Study Street-View Greenspace and Exercise

GPS-based street-view greenspace exposure and wearable assessed physical activity in a prospective cohort of US women Abstract Background Increasing evidence positively links greenspace and physical activity (PA). However, most studies use measures of greenspace, such...

NJSPL: Some College, No Credential Population in NJ

Overview of the Some College, No Credential Population and Educational Outcomes in New Jersey, 2023–2024 New Jersey State Policy Lab Supporting New Jersey residents in returning to college after leaving without a credential has been an increasing focus of the state’s...

Loh and Noland Explore Public Charging Station Disparities

Equal charging for all: Are there income-based disparities in public charging stations? Abstract We compare charging station accessibility for different income groups in the San Francisco Bay Area. Using a microsimulation model, we estimate charging station...

Heldrich Center Releases New Work Trends Brief and Website

The Heldrich Center for Workforce Development is pleased to announce the availability of two new research products resulting from its long-running public opinion polling series, Work Trends. To better understand the public’s attitudes about work, employers, and the...

NJSPL Report: Analyzing the Use and Equity of ARPA Funds

Report Release: Analyzing the Use and Equity of ARPA Funds in NJ Local Governments and Beyond New Jersey State Policy Lab The American Rescue Plan Act’s Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA-SLFRF) represent a historic $350 billion investment to...