The pathology of virtual football betting and its prevention strategies

The method of the present research is qualitative with a phenomenological approach. The community of participants included people active in virtual football betting who were first selected purposefully and then as snowballs. The interviews continued until the theoretical saturation was reached and finally with 19 people. Thematic (thematic) analysis method was used to analyze the research data. The results showed that in the works section of the company in betting, the main categories were divided into two sections: favorable works and unfavorable works. The desirable effects of betting in sports include filling leisure time and improving the psychological state, and the undesirable effects have individual and social dimensions. In the component of the causes of tendency to bet, the categories of odds test, environmental stimuli and improvement of mental state were determined. The category of chance test includes achieving material benefits and taking advantage of chance, environmental stimuli including attractive advertisements and advice from others, improving mental state includes different recreational experiences and relieving mental disorders. In the category of strategies for reducing betting injuries, the categories of monitoring and control, media education and psychological empowerment were defined. Supervision and control include monitoring families and organizations, media education including information and culture building, and finally psychological empowerment including providing entertainment and providing expert advice. To reduce the harms of betting, responsible organizations must consider preventive measures to deal with the negative effects of this phenomenon.