A total of five articles were found (one study and four comments or reviews). All authors hypothesized a future increased risk of online gambling/gaming initiation or an exacerbation of gambling during lockdown (Marsden et al., 2020). Social isolation during spatial distancing, and these stressors in conjunction with substantial changes in gambling markets (land-based, online) during the pandemic may significantly influence gambling behaviors (Håkansson et al., 2020). To face this issue, some countries imposed restrictions or have banned online gambling (Columb et al., 2020). Some authors recently proposed a consensus guidance discussing the risks related to the problematic internet use (including gambling) and made some practical recommendations that may help diminish them (Király et al., 2020). A web survey conducted in Sweden did not show a gambling increase (the number of individuals reporting an increase was smaller than those reporting a decrease, with no change in 51% of participants), but increasing gambling was associated with having a higher degree of gambling problems (Håkansson, 2020). However as there was no lockdown in Sweden, these results are not generalizable.
