Explaining the effect of economic strain on online illegal sports betting: Empirical application of Agnew's general strain theory

Betting on various sports competitions, gambling and crimes related to this field, due to the popularity of youth in team sports, especially football, has established its position as a facilitator channel in providing a windfall income. The high importance of sports in different countries, the wide range of sports and the attention of different groups to sports events have led to increased awareness of the sports betting industry to sports competitions. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of economic strains on the involvement of individuals in illegal sports gambling. For this purpose, using 447 sample of male citizens of Bandar Anzali, Rasht, Lahijan, Rudsar and Langrud cities, which were selected by convenient sampling method, the research hypotheses were examined. The study found that objective economic strains have a significant effect on online illegal sport gambling with mediation of subjective strain, negative emotions, and deviant motivations. The socio-economic status (SES) of Respondents moderates the relationships between general strain model and illegal gambling.