Abstract
The Positive Play Scale (PPS) was designed to track the effectiveness of responsible gambling (RG) policy, with a focus on positive changes in beliefs and behaviors instead of the absence of problem gambling symptoms. The current study aimed to (1) validate the Positive Play Scale Adapted for Chinese gamblers (PPS-AC) using a probability Chinese community sample in Macao, (2) explore the relationships between the PPS-AC and symptoms of gambling disorder (GD), and (3) evaluate the associations of gambling attitudes with the PPS-AC. Through a two-step random sampling procedure, we interviewed 1,002 locally dwelling Macao Chinese adults (44.3% males; Mage = 44.28 years, SDage = 17.35 years) by phone, in which 237 were past-year gamblers (49.8% males; Mage = 40.76 years, SDage = 15.78 years). Results showed that a two-dimension structure fitted the data well for both the positive play behaviors scale and the positive play beliefs scale of the PPS-AC among past-year gamblers. In addition to findings of satisfactory internal consistency, the convergent validity of the PPS-AC was supported by its significant association with RG self-efficacy. All four PPS-AC constructs were negatively correlated with GD symptoms, whereas two behavior constructs of the PPS-AC significantly explained the variance of GD symptoms with negative valences. All gambling attitude dimensions were associated with at least one PPS-AC construct. The current study was the first to adapt the PPS on a probability Chinese community sample and extended its applicability. The findings support the PPS-AC as a reliable and valid tool for assessing positive play, which was negatively associated with symptoms of disordered gambling. Further, the significant associations between gambling attitudes and the PPS-AC provide insights for RG policies.
Highlights
Responsible gambling (RG) was introduced to Macao in 2009, the only city in China where casino gambling is legal, with an objective to confine “gambling-related damage to a socially acceptable level” (Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau Macau, n.d.)
Because the positive play behavior scale and the positive play belief scale were developed separately for assessing two conceptually distinct constructs, we followed the original conceptualization of Positive Play Scale (PPS) and evaluated the structure and dimensionality of a two-factor model of positive play behaviors and a two-factor model of positive play beliefs, respectively, with Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) by Mplus 7.4 (Muthén and Muthén, 1998–2012)
After excluding one case that did not respond to the positive play behaviors scale (N = 236 after the removal), we tested this seven-item two-factor scale using CFA and found the model fit of the original structure, without any postulated covariance, not satisfactory, χ2(13) = 93.09, p < 0.001, RMSEA = 0.162, 90% CI [0.132,0.193], CFI = 0.779, SRMR = 0.152
Summary
Responsible gambling (RG) was introduced to Macao in 2009, the only city in China where casino gambling is legal, with an objective to confine “gambling-related damage to a socially acceptable level” (Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau Macau, n.d.). This objective is consistent with Blaszczynski et al (2004) statement that the role of RG policies is to minimize gambling-related harm. Tong et al (2019) observed that RG-aware gamblers do not tend to report a high prevalence of adherence to a variety of RG practices (e.g. setting time limits, recording gambling details, seeking help if needed, signing up for self-exclusion if needed, not carrying a bank card when gambling, learning the risk of a game). There is a strong need for empirical research to find alternative ways to increase RG-awareness and RG practices in addition to common approaches (Blaszczynski et al, 2004)
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