Abstract

This study used bibliometric methods to examine changes in the themes and explanatory perspectives of adolescent gambling research. A total of 994 publications published between 1964 and 2026 were selected from Scopus through a PRISMA-based screening process. Period-based analyses included 949 publications after excluding 45 records from the incomplete year of 2026. The study period was divided into P1 (1964-2012), P2 (2013-2019), and P3 (2020-2025). Using bibliometrix and biblioshiny in R, this study analyzed publication trends, thematic maps, author-keyword co-occurrence networks, thematic evolution, and the prevalence of terms reflecting personal vulnerability and public health and environmental perspectives. The consistency of the main findings was examined using 554 publications from the Web of Science. Problem gambling and prevention remained central themes throughout the study period, while diagnostic themes shifted from pathological gambling toward gambling disorder and behavioral addiction. The convergence of gaming and gambling emerged as an independent central theme in P3, particularly around loot boxes. The proportion of publications containing terms reflecting the personal vulnerability perspective increased from 38.9% in P1 to 45.6% in P2 and 46.2% in P3, although the difference across periods was not significant. In contrast, the proportion containing terms reflecting the public health and environmental perspective increased significantly from 44.8% to 64.8% and 67.5%. These findings suggest that adolescent gambling research has expanded while maintaining attention to individual vulnerabilities, increasingly incorporating digital platforms, advertising and marketing, accessibility, payment environments, and regulatory conditions.