[Psychological and social impact of online gambling].

The arrival of online betting has important implications for pathological gambling New gamblers are easily recruited online, especially among young people who are highly involved in web-mediated activities. In addition, gamblers used to betting in "real life" settings can now play their favorite games at any time of the day or night. Negative economic, social and psychological consequences of this new phenomenon are beginning to appear. We present original data from a study conducted in a French University, showing a 7% prevalence of online gambling This activity was associated with male gender, alcohol consumption and smoking. New prevention messages and new means of early diagnosis are needed.