The Dimensional Structure of the Gambling Attitudes and Beliefs Survey: Challenging the Assumption of the Unidimensionality of Gambling-Specific Cognitive Distortions
AbstractThe aim of the present study was to examine the dimensional structure of the Gambling Attitudes and Beliefs Survey (GABS). The GABS was administered to a sample of 415 individuals with self-reported problem or pathological gambling who were taking part in two different treatment studies preregistered with the German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS00013888) and ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03372226). Exploratory factor analyses revealed a three-factor structure. We labeled the factors sensation seeking/illusion of control, luck/gambler ’s fallacy, and attitude/emotions. Subsequent confirmatory factor analyses proved the ...
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - March 1, 2023 Category: Addiction Source Type: research

Near-Misses Predict Youth Gambling Intention via Illusion of Control
We examined the moderating role of an illusion of control (IOC) in the differential contributions of forms of near-miss (NM) in youths intent to gamble in Nigeria (n = 60, mean age = 18.05,SD = 3.81) using a randomized group design. Data were obtained by means of the gambling episode stimulus material that varied NM into early-miss, late-miss, near-win and near-loss groups, and self-report measures of IOC and gambling intention. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) result showed tha t NM groups differed significantly on gambling intention. HAYES PROCESS macro moderation analysis results of NM categories as dumm...
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - February 23, 2023 Category: Addiction Source Type: research

Income Inequality and the Odds of Online Gambling Among a Large Sample of Adolescents in Canada
We examined whether mental health (depressive and anxiety symptoms, psychosocial wellbeing), school connectedness, and access to mental health programs mediate this relationship. Adjusted analysis indicated that a standardized deviation (SD) unit increase in Gini coefficient (OR = 1.17, 95% CI 1.05, 1.30) was associated with increased odds of participating in online gambling. When stratified by gender, the association was significant only among males (OR = 1.12, 95% CI 1.03, 1.22). The relationship between high er income inequality and greater odds for online gambling may be mediated by depressive and anxiety sym...
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - February 22, 2023 Category: Addiction Source Type: research

Examination of the Factors That Encourage University Students to Sports Betting. A Q-Method Study
This study aimed to examine the factors that motivate university students to sports betting through the Q-method. The study is designed with the Q-methodology. According to this method, qualitative and quantitative research methods are applied in the same study. Interviews were conducted with the participants of the study, question expressions were created and similar studies in the literature were used. With this feature, the current study has both structural and non-structural pattern features. In the study, the snowball sampling method, one of the purposeful sampling methods, was employed as a sampling method. The peopl...
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - February 13, 2023 Category: Addiction Source Type: research

US Taxation of Gambling Winnings and Incentives to Bet
AbstractSports betting is growing rapidly in the US after its legalization by the Supreme Court in 2018. This paper describes the treatment of gambling winnings and losses in the federal tax code and shows how the system may incentivize some gamblers to substantially increase the scale of their betting in order to have a chance to win. This incentive stems from the fact that gambling losses can only be deducted if taxpayers are filing for itemized deductions, meaning the scale of gambling losses has to be large enough to push a taxpayer ’s eligible deductions over the standard deduction. This incentive to engage in large...
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - February 11, 2023 Category: Addiction Source Type: research

Simulated Gambling: An Explorative Study Based on a Representative Survey
This study explores correlations and transitions between simulated gambling and real money gambling with an emphasis on gambling-related harms and public health concerns. The analysis is based on a national representative survey of 46,136 German Internet users which included 5,191 real money online gamblers (RMG), 54% of whom had also participated in simulated gambling (SG). The data set is divided into subsamples based on participation in SG to carve out significant differences in these groups in regard to various socio demographics, gambling patterns, and gambling problems. Regression models are used to predict RMG frequ...
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - February 9, 2023 Category: Addiction Source Type: research

The Predictive Role of Tolerance and Health Problems in Problem Gambling: A Cross-Sectional and Cross-Lagged Network Analyses
AbstractThe existing symptomatic networks of problem gambling are all based on cross-sectional data. Thus, there is a need to explore longitudinal symptom networks of problem gambling. Moreover, the replicability of cross-sectional symptom networks can be limited; therefore, further research should assess the convergence between cross-sectional networks of problem gambling symptoms. The present study aimed (i) to examine cross-sectional networks of problem gambling symptoms and evaluate their replicability and (ii) to examine a longitudinal cross-lagged network of problem gambling symptoms. The study included a representat...
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - February 4, 2023 Category: Addiction Source Type: research

A Comparative Profile of Online, Offline, and Mixed-Mode Problematic Gamblers ’ Gambling Involvement, Motives, and HEXACO Personality Traits
AbstractFew studies have compared gamblers who play in exclusively online (i.e., Internet-based), exclusively offline (i.e., land-based), and mixed-mode contexts. In studies that have compared these groups, mixed-mode gamblers have consistently exhibited the greatest susceptibility to problematic gambling. In order to expand the scope of previous research that has compared gamblers based on their preferred mode of play, and to improve understanding of mixed-mode gamblers ’ proneness to problematic gambling, a sample of gamblers who play in exclusively online, exclusively offline, and mixed-mode contexts were compared on ...
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - February 4, 2023 Category: Addiction Source Type: research

Large-Scale Web Scraping for Problem Gambling Research: A Case Study of COVID-19 Lockdown Effects in Germany
We examined the usage of different subforums, i.e. terrestrial, online gambling and problem gambling sections, and changes in posting behaviour related to the casino closures that were part of the nationwide restrictions in Germany in 2020. There was a marked increase in newly registered users during the first lockdown compared to the preceding weeks, an increase in the number of posts in the online gambling subforum and concurrent decrease in the terrestrial gambling subforum. Further, the number of short-latency replies was higher during the first lockdown compared to the preceding weeks. Many users who posted in both th...
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - January 27, 2023 Category: Addiction Source Type: research

Suicidal Behaviors and Associated Factors Among Individuals with Gambling Disorders: A Meta-Analysis
AbstractThe risk for suicidal behaviors including suicide ideations and attempts among individuals with gambling disorder (IWGDs) is high compared to the general population. Little is known about the interplay of mood disorders, alcohol use disorders, and suicidal behaviors among IWGDs. The study aimed to determine the prevalence, sociodemographic characteristics, risky behaviors, mental health disorders, and alcohol use disorders associated with suicide behaviors among IWGDs. Studies published between January 1 1995 and September 1 2022 were obtained from following databases:PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science andCochrane Libr...
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - January 25, 2023 Category: Addiction Source Type: research

Psychosocial Perspective on Problem Gambling: The role of Social Relationships, Resilience, and COVID-19 Worry
This study examined psychosocial factors associated with pandemic-time problem gambling.Cross-sectional data were gathered via an online survey of 18 –75-year-old Finnish, Swedish, and British respondents (n = 2,022) who reported having gambled at least occasionally during the pandemic. Measures included problem gambling, loneliness, COVID-19 worry, social support, and psychological resilience. Control variables included gender, age, and ed ucation. Structural equation modeling was used as an analytical technique.Loneliness was found to be associated with problem gambling. While COVID-19 worry was not directly associ...
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - January 9, 2023 Category: Addiction Source Type: research

Applying the Canadian Low-Risk Gambling Guidelines to Gambling Harm Reduction in England
This study analyzes data from Health Survey England to assess the applicability of the Canadian Low-Risk Gambling Guidelines to gamblers in England. Using HSE data from 2016 to 2018, we generated risk curves for the relationship between 2 dimensions of gambling behaviour—frequency of gambling sessions and number of types of games played—and gambling harm. We defined harm as a score of 1 or above on the Problem Gambling Severity Index. HSE does not include questions on gambling spending, therefore this was not assessed. The relationship observ ed between frequency and types of gambling and harm among HSE respondents was...
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - January 8, 2023 Category: Addiction Source Type: research

Trajectory Classes of Externalizing and Internalizing Symptoms to Adolescent Gambling Participation: An Exploratory Study
This study aims to better understand the role of co-occurrence between externalizing and internalizing symptoms from childhood to adolescence in adolescent gambling. Participants were drawn from an ongoing longitudinal study of children with and without early conduct problems. Externalizing and internalizing problems were measured annually using teacher and parent reports. Gambling behaviours were measured using self-report when participants were approximately 15  years old. Latent class growth trajectory analyses identified five mental health trajectory classes: (1) a co-occurring trajectory characterized by stable clin...
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - January 7, 2023 Category: Addiction Source Type: research

Behavioral Responses to Losses Disguised as Wins: A Field Study of Slot Machine Players
We present the results of a field study examining the effect of losses disguised as wins (LDWs) on subsequent slot machine gambler betting behavior. An LDW occurs when the amount won is less than the amount bet. Using non-experimental, individual transaction gambling data, we examine post LDW betting behavior in a panel of 42,669 gamblers and 17  million slot machine plays. The primary empirical findings include: (1) streaks of three LDWs greater than 75% of the original amount bet lead slot gamblers to increase the amount bet on the next spin; (2) streaks of three LDWs less than 25% of the original amount bet results in ...
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - January 7, 2023 Category: Addiction Source Type: research

Clinical Differences of mild, Moderate, and Severe Gambling Disorder in a Sample of Treatment Seeking Pathological Gamblers in Sweden
Discussion: There are some distinctive differences between GD of different severities. The features shown by patients with severe GD indicates a more emotionally vulnerable group with increased symptom severity. Further knowledge about the features of GD severity levels is important for treatment planning in the clinic. (Source: Journal of Gambling Studies)
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies - January 7, 2023 Category: Addiction Source Type: research