An Empirical Study of University Students’ Self-Protection Against Online Football Gambling in Urban Thailand

Abstract

Thailand, the numbers of young gamblers accessing online gambling, particularly adolescents, are rising every year, aligning with their characteristics as digital natives. Although various sectors in society have increased their efforts to campaign against online gambling, previous research remains limited in terms of specific focus on online football gambling in youth and adolescence. This study aims to investigate self-protection against online football gambling among Thai university students through a cross-sectional survey using a quantitative approach, in which data was collected through a questionnaire from 392 Thai university students and analyzed using a multinomial logit model. The research findings reveal that football gambling protection among Thai university students can be categorized into three patterns: No Protective Behavior (NPB), Situational Protective Behavior (SPB), and Consistent Protective Behavior (CPB). Furthermore, sociodemographic factors (including academic field of study, age, and monthly allowance) and football-watching habits (such as the football league and football streaming) are associated with football gambling protection among Thai university students. This reflects the different social experiences among Thai university students. The findings of this study are important because the government or other sectors in society can utilize these results to develop guidelines for preventing access to online football gambling among children and youth. The association between football gambling protection, sociodemographic factors, and football-watching habits reflects how football-viewing behavior is linked to the ability to protect oneself from gambling. In terms of policy implementation, interventions may begin with the at-risk group—those with No Protective Behavior (NPB)—by promoting online gambling literacy during football seasons when the sport gains high popularity.