Bidirectional relationships between desire thinking and gambling disorder tendency: Insights from a longitudinal study of Esports gamblers.

Background and aims: With the popularization of electronic sports (esports), an emerging type of gambling activity, esports betting, has risen. Esports gamblers are vulnerable to Gambling Disorder (GD), but we lack knowledge about their cognitive predictors of GD. Desire thinking about gambling (DTG) is found as a risk factor for GD in general gamblers, but little is known about its role in esports gamblers and its bidirectional relationship with GD. This study aimed to examine the differences in DTG between esports gamblers and their non-esports counterparts, as well as the bidirectionality between DTG and GD among gamblers.

Methods: We conducted a two-wave, longitudinal online study with a 6-month interval. Data from 1,063 lifetime gamblers (50.0% female, Mage = 29.11 years, SD = 7.78), of whom 50.5% were esports gamblers, was collected. At follow-up, 582 of the participants completed the same survey.

Results: Esports gamblers reported higher levels of DTG and GD at both time points. The bidirectionality between DTG and GD was noted. Sub-group analysis identified a more prominent prediction of imaginal prefiguration on GD among esports gamblers.

Discussion and conclusions: Our findings suggest a higher risk of GD among esports gamblers, with DTG forming a reciprocal loop with such risk. Findings highlight the adverse impact of imaginal prefiguration on GD, especially in esports gamblers. Based on these findings, regulators should consider being more vigilant in the early screening of GD in esports gamblers. Appropriate preventative strategies (e.g., promoting responsible gambling) and psychological interventions (e.g., Metacognitive Therapy) may help reduce gambling-related harms among esports gamblers.