Cryptocurrency Trading in Emerging Adulthood: An Adaptation of the Gambling Epidemiological Model

Crypto-asset speculation and high-frequency trading have emerged as areas of interest in behavioral addictions because of their similarities with gambling and the reported presentation of harmed individuals at treatment services. Many of these people are younger and this leads to consideration as to why these new digital markets might be particularly attractive to this demographic group. Here we propose a conceptual framework based on Korn and Shaffer's (1999) gambling epidemiological model to elucidate the specific vulnerability of emerging adults. Using the epidemiological triad, we analyze: (1) the Host, characterized by neurobiological asynchrony, individual differences in impulsivity and sensation seeking, Fear of Missing Out, and cognitive biases that predispose individuals to risk; (2) the Agent, where platforms implement a predatory architecture based on gamblification, variable-ratio reinforcement mechanisms, and dark patterns to foster compulsive trading; and (3) the Environment, defined by a digital ecosystem where finfluencers and the dynamics of tribalism (identity fusion) within unregulated digital communities suppress risk perception. The clinical and public health implications of this framework are discussed, positioning developments in the therapeutic approach to disordered gambling as a model for proactive regulation and prevention strategies to address the risks and harms associated with speculative crypto-asset trading.