Digital Addiction in the Workplace: Gaming and Sports Betting as Hidden Occupational Safety Risks

Digital entertainment has transformed rapidly over the past decade. Online gaming platforms, mobile games, esports, fantasy leagues, and legalized sports betting are now accessible 24 hours a day from a smartphone. While most individuals engage in these activities recreationally, a growing body of medical and public health research shows that gaming addiction and sports betting addiction can develop into behavioral disorders that impair cognitive functioning, decision-making, and occupational performance.

From an Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) perspective, these conditions are not merely personal lifestyle issues. When viewed through the lens of systems thinking, they represent a potential workplace risk factor capable of affecting productivity, safety, workforce stability, and organizational culture.

Understanding Digital Addiction: Gaming Disorder and Gambling Disorder in the Modern Digital Environment

Gaming addiction and gambling addiction share a set of core diagnostic features recognized in psychiatric medicine. These include:

• Loss of control over the behavior

• Preoccupation with the activity

• Increasing tolerance (needing more time or money)

• Withdrawal symptoms when the behavior stops

• Continued engagement despite negative consequences

These characteristics mirror those seen in substance addictions and are formally recognized in psychiatric diagnostic frameworks. Gaming disorder requires meeting at least five diagnostic criteria within a twelve-month period, including persistent preoccupation with gaming, withdrawal symptoms when unable to play, increasing time spent gaming, unsuccessful attempts to reduce gaming, and neglect of other responsibilities or interests.[2]

Gambling disorder, which includes sports betting addiction, is diagnosed when at least four symptoms occur within a twelve-month period. These include increasing bets to achieve excitement, difficulty stopping gambling, repeated attempts to control behavior, gambling when distressed, chasing losses, concealing gambling from others, and jeopardizing relationships or employment opportunities.[2]

These diagnostic features highlight a critical point: both gaming addiction and sports betting addiction are disorders of impulse control and executive functioning.

Why This Matters for Occupational Health and Safety

In traditional workplace safety models, risks are often categorized as physical hazards, chemical exposures, or ergonomic issues. However, modern workplaces increasingly recognize psychosocial hazards as equally important determinants of worker safety and performance.

When gaming addiction or gambling addiction becomes severe, several occupational risks emerge.

Cognitive Impairment and Executive Dysfunction

Research demonstrates that individuals with gambling disorder exhibit deficits in executive function, particularly in:

• Cognitive flexibility

• Attentional control

• Decision-making

• Impulse regulation

These impairments are closely related to compulsive behavior patterns.[4]

Gaming addiction shows similar neurocognitive effects, including impaired self-control and emotional regulation.[5]

In occupations requiring sustained attention—such as transportation, healthcare, construction, or industrial operations—these cognitive impairments may increase the risk of errors, near misses, and workplace accidents.

Fatigue and Sleep Disruption

Many individuals with severe gaming disorder spend eight to ten hours or more per day gaming, often late into the night.[2]

Sleep deprivation resulting from prolonged gaming or sports betting activity can lead to:

• Reduced reaction time

• Decreased concentration

• Impaired situational awareness

• Increased workplace injuries

Fatigue is already recognized as a major occupational safety hazard in sectors such as aviation, mining, transportation, and healthcare. Behavioral addictions that disrupt sleep may therefore indirectly contribute to workplace safety risks.

Financial Stress and Risk-Taking Behaviour

Sports betting addiction frequently results in financial strain, debt accumulation, and bankruptcy.[3]

Financial stress is strongly associated with:

• Psychological distress

• Increased absenteeism

• Reduced productivity

• Higher rates of workplace conflict

In extreme cases, financial pressure may contribute to unethical behavior, fraud, or workplace misconduct.

Figure. The Razavi Occupational Health Iceberg: visible workplace problems are often only the surface. Hidden behavioral addictions, neurocognitive impairment, and digital engagement systems may be the underlying drivers affecting safety, productivity, and worker well-being.

A Systems Thinking Perspective

To understand why gaming addiction and sports betting addiction represent emerging OHS concerns, it is useful to apply systems thinking.

Systems thinking examines how multiple interacting factors contribute to outcomes rather than focusing on a single cause.

In the context of behavioral addictions, several systems interact:

Technology System

• Smartphone access

• Online gaming platforms

• 24-hour sports betting apps

• Real-time betting markets

Psychological System

• Reward circuitry activation

• Dopamine reinforcement loops

• Stress coping behaviors

Social System

• Esports culture

• Social media influence

• Peer betting networks

Workplace System

• Shift work and irregular schedules

• High stress occupations

• Remote work environments

• Increased digital exposure

When these systems interact, behavioral addictions can develop and persist, sometimes unnoticed until functional impairment becomes severe.

From an OHS perspective, the risk emerges not from a single factor but from system-level interactions between technology, mental health, and workplace demands.

Impact on Work Performance

Gaming addiction and sports betting addiction can significantly impair occupational functioning.

Reported consequences include:

• Declining job performance

• Reduced concentration and productivity

• Increased absenteeism

• Job loss

• Workplace relationship conflicts

Gaming disorder, for example, has been linked to school failure, employment loss, and breakdown of family relationships due to excessive time spent gaming.[2]

Sports betting addiction similarly correlates with higher rates of unemployment and financial instability.[3]

Mental Health and Physical Health Consequences

Behavioral addictions often coexist with broader health concerns.

Mental health associations include:

• Depression

• Anxiety disorders

• Psychological distress

• Suicidal ideation

Studies show that increases in gambling severity strongly correlate with increased stress levels and mental health symptoms.[6]

Physical health consequences may include:

• Insomnia

• Eye strain and dry eye

• Poor hygiene and sedentary lifestyle

• Obesity

• Hypertension and cardiovascular stress

These factors can further impair workplace functioning and increase long-term disability risk.[5][3]

Prevalence and Population Risk

Internet gaming disorder appears particularly common among younger populations.

Studies estimate prevalence around 9.9% among adolescents and young adults, with significantly higher rates in males.[5]

Gambling disorder occurs in approximately 0.49% of the population, with an additional 2.47% considered high risk.[7]

While these percentages may appear modest, even small prevalence rates can have meaningful impacts on large workforces.

Implications for Occupational Health Professionals

For occupational medicine specialists, workplace safety leaders, and human resource professionals, gaming addiction and sports betting addiction represent a new category of psychosocial risk.

Key areas of attention include:

• Screening for behavioral addictions during health assessments

• Recognizing signs of sleep deprivation and cognitive impairment

• Supporting workers experiencing financial or psychological distress

• Developing workplace policies addressing digital dependency

• Integrating behavioral addiction awareness into wellness programs

Importantly, responses should emphasize support and treatment, rather than stigma or disciplinary approaches.

The Future of Occupational Health

The rapid expansion of digital technologies means behavioral addictions are likely to become more visible in workplace health discussions.

Occupational health systems must adapt to recognize that modern workplace risk extends beyond traditional hazards.

Digital behavior, cognitive health, and psychosocial stressors are now integral components of workforce safety.

Gaming addiction and sports betting addiction illustrate how technology-driven behavioral patterns can intersect with workplace systems, creating risks that traditional safety models may not fully capture.

Recognizing these patterns early allows organizations to protect both worker well-being and workplace safety.

References

1. Wölfling K, Müller KW, Dreier M, et al. Efficacy of short-term treatment of internet and computer game addiction: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Psychiatry. 2019;76(10):1018–1025.

2. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed. 2022.

3. Yeola A, Allen MR, Desai N, et al. Growing health concern regarding gambling addiction in the age of sportsbooks. JAMA Internal Medicine. 2025;185(4):382–389.

4. van Timmeren T, Daams JG, van Holst RJ, Goudriaan AE. Compulsivity-related neurocognitive performance deficits in gambling disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. 2018;84:204–217.

5. Shi E. Digital dependency: tips for diagnosis, screening, and management of gaming disorders. American Family Physician. 2025;112(5):554–557.

6. Shaygan A, Lambuth J, Song F, et al. Problematic sports betting and its adverse impact on mental health and well-being in young adults. Psychiatry Research. 2024;342:116258.

7. Pontes HM. Investigating WHO criteria for gambling and gaming disorders in a nationally representative sample. Journal of Affective Disorders. 2025.