Teresita T. Rungduin — My Journey in Researching Online Gambling Behavior in the Philippines
My name is Teresita T. Rungduin, and my work has focused on understanding the psychological, behavioral, and social realities connected to online gambling among Filipino professionals and communities. Over the years, I became increasingly interested in how rapidly evolving digital environments influence human behavior, emotional well-being, financial decisions, and mental health patterns within modern Philippine society.
As a Filipino researcher, I have dedicated much of my academic and analytical work to exploring the lived experiences of individuals engaged in online gambling activities. My goal has never been to sensationalize gambling behavior, but rather to understand why people participate, how digital gambling environments affect psychological health, and what social systems may help reduce harm while improving awareness and prevention strategies.
Early Life and Academic Curiosity
I was born and raised in the Philippines during a period when digital technology and internet culture were rapidly transforming social interaction and entertainment habits. Like many Filipinos, I witnessed how smartphones, online gaming, social media, and digital financial systems gradually became deeply integrated into everyday life.
During my early academic years, I became fascinated by human behavior, emotional decision-making, coping mechanisms, and social psychology. I was especially interested in how stress, economic pressure, isolation, and emotional struggles influence individual behavior patterns. This curiosity eventually led me toward research involving online gambling and behavioral addiction systems.
As online gambling became more accessible across the Philippines during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, I observed a significant rise in discussions surrounding gambling behavior, emotional distress, financial instability, and problematic digital habits. Many people viewed gambling simply as entertainment, while others experienced increasingly harmful consequences connected to emotional dependency, debt, stress, and social isolation.
These observations encouraged me to focus my research efforts on understanding the deeper psychological and social mechanisms behind online gambling participation among Filipino adults and working professionals.
Academic and Research Interests
My academic interests developed around several interconnected areas:
- online gambling behavior,
- psychological motivation,
- behavioral addiction,
- emotional coping systems,
- digital accessibility,
- stress management,
- gambling progression,
- and social consequences of gambling activity.
I became especially interested in the relationship between emotional distress and online gambling engagement. Many individuals participating in gambling platforms described using gambling as a coping mechanism for stress, boredom, anxiety, loneliness, or financial pressure. This emotional dimension became one of the central themes of my research work.
I also became interested in how technological accessibility transformed gambling behavior. Mobile applications, digital payment systems, and instant internet access dramatically changed gambling participation patterns in the Philippines. Gambling was no longer restricted to physical casinos or traditional betting environments. Instead, it became integrated directly into smartphones, social media systems, and everyday digital routines.
Research on Filipino Working Professionals
One of the most important projects I participated in was the study titled:
A Phenomenological Study of Online Gambling Behaviors Among Filipino Working Professionals.
This research explored the lived experiences of Filipino working professionals actively engaged in online gambling activities. The study used an interpretative phenomenological approach designed to understand how participants personally interpreted their gambling behavior, emotional motivations, financial decisions, and psychological experiences.
The research involved remote semi-structured interviews conducted between January and June 2025 with Filipino working professionals recruited through purposive and snowball sampling methods. Through these interviews, we explored:
- gambling frequency,
- spending behavior,
- emotional triggers,
- progression of gambling habits,
- social consequences,
- financial impact,
- and attempts to stop gambling behavior.
Our findings revealed that many participants initially entered online gambling environments during the COVID-19 pandemic. Emotional stress, isolation, boredom, financial concerns, thrill-seeking behavior, and increased digital accessibility became major contributing factors influencing gambling participation.
Understanding the Online Gambling Cycle
One of the most meaningful contributions of our research was the development of what became known as the “Online Gambling Cycle.” This framework attempted to explain how gambling behavior develops progressively over time rather than appearing suddenly.
The cycle often began with emotional or situational triggers such as stress, curiosity, boredom, loneliness, or financial pressure. Digital accessibility amplified these motivations by making gambling constantly available through smartphones and online platforms.
Over time, some participants described increasing betting amounts, longer gambling sessions, emotional dependency, and attempts to recover financial losses through continued gambling. Many participants also described feelings of guilt, anxiety, secrecy, and emotional exhaustion connected to their gambling behavior.
Academic and Research Development
Psychological and Social Implications
My research consistently highlighted that online gambling cannot be understood purely as a financial activity. It is deeply connected to psychological regulation, emotional coping, stress relief, and social interaction.
Many participants described gambling as a temporary emotional escape from workplace pressure, family stress, financial uncertainty, or emotional loneliness. Unfortunately, this temporary relief often evolved into cycles of increased gambling frequency and escalating financial risk.
One particularly concerning finding involved the normalization of online gambling among working professionals. Because gambling became digitally integrated into everyday smartphone usage, many individuals no longer viewed their behavior as potentially risky until significant emotional or financial consequences appeared.
This normalization process became especially important in understanding why early intervention, mental health education, and responsible gambling awareness are increasingly necessary within modern Philippine society.
The Importance of Responsible Gambling Research
I believe responsible gambling research is not about condemning individuals who gamble. Instead, it is about understanding the psychological realities surrounding gambling behavior so that healthier systems, educational programs, and support structures can be developed.
Research helps identify:
- emotional risk factors,
- problematic behavior patterns,
- social influences,
- digital accessibility concerns,
- and intervention opportunities.
Without research, gambling-related harm often remains invisible until severe financial, emotional, or relational damage has already occurred.
In the Philippines, online gambling continues growing rapidly through mobile applications, betting platforms, casinos, esports wagering, and digital entertainment systems. Because of this rapid growth, public awareness and mental health research are becoming increasingly important.
Major Research Areas and Contributions
Public References and Academic Sources
Public References and Research Sources
Final Reflections
As a researcher, I believe understanding human behavior requires compassion, objectivity, and social responsibility. Gambling behavior is rarely driven by money alone. Behind many gambling patterns are emotional struggles, stress, loneliness, psychological needs, social influence, and digital accessibility systems that shape individual decision-making.
My work continues focusing on understanding these behavioral realities while supporting conversations about responsible gambling, mental health awareness, emotional resilience, and public education within the Philippines.
Research should not simply observe problems from a distance. It should help societies better understand themselves, identify risks earlier, and create healthier systems capable of protecting emotional well-being in rapidly changing digital environments.
