Esports bettors versus traditional sports bettors: differences in demographics, impulsivity, psychopathological symptoms, and gaming and gambling behavior

Mangat, HS, Király, O, Urbán, R, Yu, SM, Griffiths, MD ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8880-6524, Paksi, B, Felvinczi, K, Demetrovics, Z and Czakó, A, 2026. Esports bettors versus traditional sports bettors: differences in demographics, impulsivity, psychopathological symptoms, and gaming and gambling behavior. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 146: 152667. ISSN 0010-440X

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Abstract

Background and aims: Esports betting (i.e., betting on the outcome of professional competitive videogaming matches) has become a regular feature of most online gambling websites in recent years. The present study compared differences between esports bettors and traditional sports bettors, in addition to exploring factors that predict participation in esports betting.

Methods: Data regarding demographics, impulsivity, psychopathological symptoms, gaming, and gambling among 359 esports bettors (mean age = 37.98 years [SD = 13.64]; 86.9% male) and 326 sports bettors (mean age = 43.79 years [SD = 13.75]; 91.7% male) from the United Kingdom, Hungary, and Canada were collected through surveys via two gambling service providers (Betway and Midnite) and a gaming magazine.

Results: Compared to sports bettors, esports bettors were significantly younger, scored higher on gambling risk severity, and had more gaming disorder symptoms. Esports bettors were also more likely than sports bettors to report higher levels of stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms, and impulsivity, as well as be driven by coping, social, and financial motives to engage in betting. In an unadjusted binary regression model, being younger, being driven by coping, social, and financial motives, and reporting elevated levels of impulsivity, depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms were predictors of esports betting. Higher rates of problem gambling severity and gaming disorder symptoms were also predictors of esports betting.

Conclusions: The findings suggest that esports bettors are a distinct betting group, and vulnerable to multiple gaming/gambling-related harms and psychopathological harms.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Comprehensive Psychiatry
Creators:	Mangat, H.S., Király, O., Urbán, R., Yu, S.M., Griffiths, M.D., Paksi, B., Felvinczi, K., Demetrovics, Z. and Czakó, A.
Publisher:	Elsevier BV
Date:	March 2026
Volume:	146
ISSN:	0010-440X
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1016/j.comppsych.2026.152667 DOI 2575687 Other
Rights:	© 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	Laura Borcherds
Date Added:	17 Feb 2026 08:50
Last Modified:	17 Feb 2026 08:50
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/55288

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