Rare Loot Box Rewards Trigger Larger Arousal and Reward Responses, and Greater Urge to Open More Loot Boxes
AbstractLoot boxes are a purchasable video-game feature consisting of randomly determined, in-game virtual items. Due to their chance-based nature, there is much debate as to whether they constitute a form of gambling. We sought to address this issue by examining whether players treat virtual loot box rewards in a way that parallels established reward reactivity for monetary rewards in slots play. Across two sets of experiments, we show that loot boxes containing rarer items are more valuable, arousing, rewarding and urge-inducing to players, similar to the way slots gamblers treat rare large wins in slots play. Importantl...
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - February 14, 2021 Category: Addiction Source Type: research
Evaluation of a Brief Online Self-help Program for Concerned Gamblers
This study shows that it is relatively easy to recruit participants to an online program for concerned gamblers in the context of a gambling helpline. However, since few users logged in to the program more than once, we suggest futu re online programs to have open modules with all content accessible at once. (Source: Journal of Gambling Studies)
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - February 9, 2021 Category: Addiction Source Type: research
Multilevel Contextual Analysis of Poker Cash Game Gambling
This study reveals the significance of contextual factors as a fundamental element in gambling behaviors and highli ghts the need for prevention strategies that target specific high-risk contexts rather than individually based interventions. (Source: Journal of Gambling Studies)
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - February 4, 2021 Category: Addiction Source Type: research
Lottery-Purchasing Adolescents: Gambling Perceptions, Problems, and Characteristics
AbstractGambling on the lottery is a prevalent behavior, and lottery products are increasingly available in online and electronic formats. As lottery-purchasing is prevalent in adolescents, this study systematically examined relationships between lottery-purchasing and problem-gambling severity and gambling perceptions and attitudes, as well as differences in the relationships between problem-gambling severity and measures of health/functioning and gambling characteristics among lottery-purchasing groups. Participants were 1517 Connecticut high-school adolescents with past-year gambling. Chi-square and logistic regression ...
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - February 2, 2021 Category: Addiction Source Type: research
Gambling at Work: A Qualitative Study of Swedish Elite Athletes, Coaches, and Managers
This study explores how male athletes, coaches, and sports managers experience gambling activities and problems in their sports. Interviews were conducted with 30 male elite athletes, coaches, and managers in four sports. The interviews were analysed using content analysis, and the results indicated two main themes: 1) desire for and concerns with money and 2) in the shadow of performance, and three categories. The first main theme emerged as a result of the respondents recurring reference to money as the reason to different actions: It is important to win money, ’too little’ or ‘too much’ money is described as rea...
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - February 2, 2021 Category: Addiction Source Type: research
Frequent Gamblers ’ Reasons for and Against Completing a Problem Gambling Screener
This study provides insight into w hy many individuals who engage in risky levels of gambling behavior do not seek out helping resources. In addition to creating practically accessible helping resources, researchers should focus on techniques that can make help-seeking a less distressing and more acceptable experience. (Source: Journal of Gambling Studies)
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - February 1, 2021 Category: Addiction Source Type: research
Pathological Gambling, Gambling Disorder, and Problem Gambling Among the Chinese Ethnic Population Living in Western Countries: Is Culture a Sufficient Explanation for the Reported Excess Rates?
AbstractA significant gap remains in the understanding of the psychosocial and cultural factors and processes in the development and maintenance of pathological gambling, gambling disorder, and problem gambling among the Chinese ethnic population living in the Western countries. This narrative reviews papers on gambling and pathological gambling among the Chinese ethnic group in Western countries to provide a deeper understanding of the cultural and psychosocial factors and processes that lead to the development and maintenance of pathological gambling, gambling disorder, and problem gambling. The factors leading to develo...
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - February 1, 2021 Category: Addiction Source Type: research
Gambling Behaviour: Prevalence, Risk Factors and Relation with Acculturation in 2007 –2018 North Cyprus Adult Household Surveys
In this study, the prevalence of gambling behaviors among the North Cyprus (NC) in 2018 is compared with the data of 2007, 2012, 2014 and the relationship between acculturation and problem and pathological gambling (PPG) is examined. The population of the study consists of Turkish-speaking individuals between 18 and 65 years of age living in NC. 799 people were consequently selected according to gender, age and geographical region with a multi-stage stratified (randomized) quota. For the collection of the data, a demographic questionnaire, the Turkish version of the Revised South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) and cultural ...
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - January 29, 2021 Category: Addiction Source Type: research
The Prevalence and Clinical and Sociodemographic Factors of Problem Online Gambling: A Systematic Review
AbstractThe emergence and spread of new technologies have allowed for the introduction of new forms of gambling. Problem online gambling has specific characteristics, and its prevalence may differ from traditional forms of gambling. This paper systematically reviews studies that include data relevant to problem online gambling and to the sociodemographic and comorbidity variables related to it. A systematic literature search was conducted from Medline database. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement, preliminary search resulted in 427 articles, from which 20 were included...
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - January 29, 2021 Category: Addiction Source Type: research
Graded Exposure Therapy for Online Mobile Smartphone Sports Betting Addiction: A Case Series Report
AbstractAdvances in technology and increased usage of electronic mobile devices over the past decade have changed the way gamblers engage with online gambling. The convenience of mobile electronic devices is understood to be a major contributor to the increase of online gambling, which in turn has been implicated in the growth of sports betting. Emerging evidence suggests several sources of differentiation between mobile and other online gambling, which have important psychological implications. Given the inherent differences, we cannot conclude that evidence for the effectiveness of treatment for non-smartphone problem ga...
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - January 29, 2021 Category: Addiction Source Type: research
The Association Between Problem Gambling and Suicidal Ideations and Attempts: A Case Control Study in the General Swedish Population
AbstractThe association between problem gambling and suicidal behaviours is well established in treatment seeking populations, but less explored among sub-clinical problem gamblers in the general population. The aim of this study was to examine the association between problem gambling (including moderate risk gambling) and suicidal ideations/suicide attempts, in the general Swedish population. Another aim was to compare problem gamblers with and without suicide ideation/attempts. A case-control study nested in the Swelogs cohort was used. Both ideations and attempts were about twice as frequent among the cases compared to ...
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - January 25, 2021 Category: Addiction Source Type: research
An Exploratory Analysis of Predictors of Course in Older and Younger Adults with Pathological Gambling: A Non-Treatment Sample
We examined the association of baseline social, demographic, and clinical predictor variables with course in 48 older ( ≥ 60 years) and 57 younger (< 40 years) subjects with pathological gambling (PG) in a prospective follow-up study. Weekly gambling activity was tracked and used to categorize PG course. Generalized estimating equation models were used to examine predictors of disordered (i.e., level 2 or 3) gambling. Interaction tests were u sed to test for differential relationships for older and younger subjects. Predictors of disordered gambling during follow-up included greater severity of PG symptoms, gre...
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - January 25, 2021 Category: Addiction Source Type: research
Gambling Patterns and Problem Gambling Among Youth in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review
This study highl ights the need for additional good quality studies focusing on gambling related behaviors and prevalence levels among the continent’s youth. Additionally, the findings reported herein emphasise the need for implementing social policies alongside effective public health interventions to tackle gamb ling addiction. (Source: Journal of Gambling Studies)
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - January 23, 2021 Category: Addiction Source Type: research
Efficacy of a Voluntary Self-exclusion Reinstatement Tutorial for Problem Gamblers
This study was designed to determine the efficacy of a tutorial created with the intent of reducing the risk of harm to those who reinstate. People who wished to be reinstated were asked to complete a survey on gambling related issues and then watch the tutorial video. An online video-based tutorial designed to reduce gambling related harm and to provide information about treatment services was developed. The control group (N = 131) consisted of people who reinstated in the year prior to the implementation of the online tutorial. The experimental intervention group (N = 104) were those who reinstated after the imp...
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - January 23, 2021 Category: Addiction Source Type: research
The Relative and Interactive Effects of Actual and Perceived Gambling Exposure on Gambling Behaviour
This study used Zero-Inflated Poisson regression analyses to assess the relative and interactive effects of actual and perceived exposure on problem gambling risk and severity. Data from the 2008 and 2009 Social and Economic Impacts of Gambling in Alberta surveys indicated actual exposure was significantly associated with problem gambling risk while perceived exposure was significantly associated with problem gambling severity. These associations differ for gamblers from emerging and mature areas. Further, actual and perceived exposure had significant interaction effects on problem gambling severity but not on risk. Implic...
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - January 22, 2021 Category: Addiction Source Type: research
