Are iGaming employees being exposed to high psychosocial risks?

Abstract

The aim of this qualitative study is to investigate whether employees in the I gaming industry are exposed to the psychosocial risks. The researcher opted to make use of the model presented by the ‘European Agency for safety and health at work’ as a basis for this study which highlights six main potential work-related stressors, namely; Excessive Job Demands, Lack of Control, Inadequate Support and Poor Relationships, Role Conflict, Poor management of Change, and Violence and Harassment. In order to achieve his objective, the researcher conducted 8 semi-structured interviews using a pre-planned interview guide based on the model mentioned above and findings were then analysed using a thematic approach. The selection criteria for the sample were participants aged between 25-45 years with a minimum of 2 years work experience in the iGaming sector. Findings indicate that participants were exposed to a number of psychosocial risks, namely ‘job demands’, ‘lack of job control (flexibility)’ and ‘poor management of change’. On the other hand, participants were less exposed to risks relating to ‘role conflict’, ‘inadequate support and poor relationships’, and ‘violence/harassment’. These results indicate particular psychosocial risks that I gaming employees are exposed to, which results also highlight the need to further research on this topic given it’s still in its infancy within the industry.