Mapping motivations for livestream viewing to gambling: Drivers of excessive gambling?

People are increasingly exposed to gambling in the context of video gaming, as exemplified by the popularity of livestreams portraying gambling and gambling-like content. The psychological pathways through which the spectating of streams is associated with active gambling involvement and problematic gambling are not known. Here, we pooled data across three online surveys in which 544 adult consumers of gambling streams and gambling were assessed for motivations, frequencies of engagement, and problem gambling severity. Structural equation modelling showed that motivations to watch gambling streams were positively associated with the same motivations to gamble (enhancement, coping, and social). Associations between watching particular types of streams (slots, esports, and loot box openings) were positively associated with problem gambling severity and were attributable to active involvement in the corresponding activities. Our findings show a mapping between stream viewing and active involvement in gambling and gambling-like activities, indicating that streaming platforms may have implications for gambling.