Online gambling is a form of entertainment that allows players to gamble from the comfort of their own homes. It has grown in popularity due to its convenience and accessibility. It is available 24/7 and is not limited by the prevailing operating hours of land-based establishments. It also eliminates the hassle of travelling and following a dress code. All that is required to play is a computer or mobile device and an internet connection. It is accessible even for people without a computer through e-games cafes established by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.

The purpose of this study is to review knowledge about risk and protective factors related to online gambling and compare them with offline gambling. A systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed and PsychInfo. Similar syntaxes were used for both databases and were restricted to peer-reviewed articles. The search terms included: gambling, online, Internet, interactive, and risk factors, protective factors, predictors and correlates.

The results of this research indicate that there are similarities between online and offline gambling, and that existing prevention interventions are likely to apply to both types of gambling. Some specific differences, however, were also identified. In particular, a number of studies report that gender, relationship and life context variables are associated with gambling behaviour. A notable finding is that women are more likely to be problematic gamblers than men. Additionally, some articles report that females are more likely to chase losses, a behavior often associated with pathological gambling.