Virtual reality in clinical and experimental gambling research: a review of methodologies

Filippo Besana, Elena Gomis-Vicent, Matthew King-Parker, Henrietta Bowden-Jones and Stephen Sharman

International Gambling Studies, 2025, vol. 25, issue 2, 205-227

Abstract: Virtual reality has been used to investigate several mental health conditions, including gambling disorder. The aim of our study is to provide an overview on the VR protocols applied in the study of gambling disorder. Systematic searches were conducted in several databases, between January 2000 and February 2024. Articles were included if they were: a) individual studies providing data about the use of VR in the study of gambling behavior b) written in English. After the title and abstract screening, 17 studies were included. VR environments were generally composed of visual stimuli of different gambling-related scenarios set up in a casino, a café or a betting shop. The majority of the protocols employed an immersive VR environment, while others implemented a non-immersive VR setting. VR can be successfully applied in the analysis, assessment, and observation of gambling-related behavior. The main limitation of the VR protocols included is the lack of standardization. It will be essential to achieve consensus on a definition of VR, applicable to research. Some issues need to be addressed in future studies: the evaluation of cybersickness symptoms, the potential risk of VR addiction as well as an appropriate training for clinicians are some of the future challenges.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1080/14459795.2025.2465320

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International Gambling Studies is currently edited by Katie Donnelly, David Marshall, Bronwyn Stuart, Alex Blaszczynski and Jan McMillen

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