Gambling is a heavily regulated activity, but policies are difficult to enforce in the online context. While governments may attempt to restrict access to licensed providers only, consumers can access offshore sites, creating a potential risk of harm and reducing taxation. This article examines how consumers select Internet gambling sites, and the characteristics of those who use offshore as opposed to domestic sites. Past-month Australian Internet-gamblers (N = 1001, 57.2 percent male) completed an online survey. Participants responded to questions about their online gambling, including use of offshore sites, reasons for site selection, awareness of regulations, preferences for regulated sites, and gambling-related problems. Offshore gamblers (52.7 percent) were a distinct demographic cohort, and were more highly involved in online gambling. Lack of awareness of gambling regulation did not sufficiently explain use of offshore gambling sites; rather, both groups had a relatively low concern for where a site was regulated, choosing sites instead based on ease of use, and cues that they were designed for gamblers in the advertised jurisdiction. Use of offshore gambling sites may be discouraged by focusing on the benefits of domestic sites and ensuring that these can provide a good consumer experience.

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影响互联网赌徒使用离岸在线赌博网站的因素：政策含义

赌博是一项受到严格监管的活动，但很难在在线环境中实施政策。尽管政府可能会尝试仅限制获得许可的提供商的访问权限，但是消费者可以访问离岸站点，从而造成潜在的危害风险并降低税收。本文研究了消费者如何选择互联网赌博站点，以及那些使用离岸站点而非国内站点的人的特征。过去一个月的澳大利亚互联网赌博者（N = 1001，男性占57.2％）完成了一项在线调查。参与者回答了有关其在线赌博的问题，包括离岸站点的使用，站点选择的原因，对法规的了解，对受监管站点的偏好以及与赌博相关的问题。离岸赌徒（52.7％）是一个独特的人口统计群体，他们更多地参与了在线赌博。缺乏对赌博法规的认识不足以解释使用境外赌博场所的原因；相反，这两个群体对站点的监管地点的关注度相对较低，而是根据其易用性来选择站点，以及它们是为广告管辖区中的赌徒设计的线索。通过专注于国内站点的利益并确保它们可以提供良好的消费者体验，可能不鼓励使用离岸赌博站点。