2016/12/14 by Hibai Lopez-Gonzalez, Hibai López-González, Mark D. Griffiths +1
Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Digital Games and Media #Gambling Behavior and Treatments #Sports Analytics and Performance
paper · doi:10.1177/1012690216680602
openalex publication_date 2016/12/14 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/25
Betting on sports via online platforms has rapidly become a popular form of gambling in many countries. Despite the growing body of research investigating the psychosocial and individual psychological factors determining gambling behaviour, much less attention has been devoted to understanding the market characteristics of online sports betting and its intersection with products from adjacent industries. From an economic convergence perspective, the present paper explores the integration of online sports betting within the digital, sporting and gambling sectors, examining how data markets, eSports, virtual sports, social gaming, immersive reality tools, sports media, sport sponsorship, fantasy sports, in-venue and in-stadium betting, poker and trading are all converging around betting activity. Through this convergence process, it is argued that internet-based sports gambling is colonizing different forms of entertainment, and expanding marketing opportunities, as well as raising psychosocial concerns about the influence of such an integration process.