Gambling Research Research Articles

Industry interests in gambling research: Lessons learned from other forms of hazardous consumption

Research indicates that the evidential bases for many harm reduction policies targeting hazardous consumptions (including tobacco, alcohol and gambling) have been distorted by commercial industries that derive revenue from such commodities. These distortions are best illustrated by research on tobacco and alcohol, which indicates similar tactics used by industries to determine favourable policy environments through engineering of evidence, among other approaches. Although there is concern that gambling research is similarly vulnerable to commercial interests, the relevant literature lags far behind other fields and the aim of this paper is to increase familiarity with tactics used by industries for influencing research. It summarises the conceptual and empirical bases for expecting conflicts between goals of public health and companies that profit from hazardous consumptions. It also summarises evidence describing practices deployed by tobacco corporations, which include third-party techniques and the selective funding of research to manufacture doubt and deflect attention away from the consequences of smoking. It then reviews both early and emerging evidence indicating similar strategies used by alcohol industry, and uses this literature to view practices of the gambling industry. It argues that parallels regarding selective funding of research and third-party techniques provide grounds for strong concern about commercial influences on gambling research, and implementation of precautionary approaches to management of vested interests.

Measuring Gambling Reinforcers, Over Consumption and Fallacies: The Psychometric Properties and Predictive Validity of the Jonsson-Abbott Scale.

Traditionally, gambling and problem gambling research relies on cross-sectional and retrospective designs. This has compromised identification of temporal relationships and causal inference. To overcome these problems a new questionnaire, the Jonsson-Abbott Scale (JAS), was developed and used in a large, prospective, general population study, The Swedish Longitudinal Gambling Study (Swelogs). The JAS has 11 items and seeks to identify early indicators, examine relationships between indicators and assess their capacity to predict future problem progression. The aims of the study were to examine psychometric properties of the JAS (internal consistency and dimensionality) and predictive validity with respect to increased gambling risk and problem gambling onset. The results are based on repeated interviews with 3818 participants. The response rate from the initial baseline wave was 74%. The original sample consisted of a random, stratified selection from the Swedish population register aged between 16 and 84. The results indicate an acceptable fit of a three-factor solution in a confirmatory factor analysis with ‘Over consumption,’ ‘Gambling fallacies,’ and ‘Reinforcers’ as factors. Reinforcers, Over consumption and Gambling fallacies were significant predictors of gambling risk potential and Gambling fallacies and Over consumption were significant predictors of problem gambling onset (incident cases) at 12 month follow up. When controlled for risk potential measured at baseline, the predictor Over consumption was not significant for gambling risk potential at follow up. For incident cases, Gambling fallacies and Over consumption remained significant when controlled for risk potential. Implications of the results for the development of problem gambling, early detection, prevention, and future research are discussed.

On gambling research, social science and the consequences of commercial gambling

Social, political, economic, geographic and cultural processes related to the significant growth of the gambling industries have, in recent years, been the subject of a growing body of research. This body of research has highlighted relationships between social class and gambling expenditure, as well as the design, marketing and location of gambling products and businesses. It has also demonstrated the regressive nature of much gambling revenue, illuminating the influence that large gambling businesses have had on government policy and on researchers, including research priorities, agendas and outcomes. Recently, critics have contended that although such scholarship has produced important insights about the operations and effects of gambling businesses, it is ideologically motivated and lacks scientific rigour. This response explains some basic theoretical and disciplinary concepts that such critique misunderstands, and argues for the value of social, political, economic, geographic and cultural perspectives to the broader, interdisciplinary field of gambling research.

Beyond Reno: a Critical Commentary on Hancock and Smith

This article provides commentary on Hancock and Smith’s examination of the Reno Model of responsible gambling (RG). Hancock and Smith (2017) contend that the model, intended to provide consumer protection and reduce gambling-related harm, serves as a major impediment to implementation of effective RG policies. This impediment is in large part attributed to the model’s long domination of the ‘international RG policy landscape’ and its emphasis on individual responsibility and problem gamblers. Hancock and Smith also examine other barriers to the introduction of more effective policies. They propose incorporation of the Reno Model within a broader RG-Consumer Protection approach. This approach includes public health principles, consumer protection, duty-of-care, regulatory responsibility and independent research. While portrayed starkly, when there are shades of grey, Hancock and Smith’s critique has merit. Their main conclusion is compelling, namely that effective consumer protection and harm reduction will require much greater emphasis on changes to gambling products, industry operations and practices, and gambling regulation. This article supports the RG-Consumer Protection approach. It also presents epidemiological and other research findings that identify a wide range of risk and protective factors. It suggests that consideration of the full spectrum of modifiable factors at individual, community and wider social levels will enhance policy and prevention programme outcomes. A number of these factors are common to other health conditions, so there is potential for collaboration and synergies with health and social agencies. Mention is made of recent meetings of the International Think Tank on Gambling Research, Policy and Practice and the World Health Organisation. The outcomes of these meetings portend collaborations to advance a global gambling public health agenda.

Erratum to: The Effect of Losses Disguised as Wins and Near Misses in Electronic Gaming Machines: A Systematic Review.

Near misses and losses disguised as wins have been of interest to gambling researchers and policymakers for many years (e.g., Griffiths in J Gambl Stud 9(2):101–120, 1993). This systematic literature review describes the behavioural, psychological, and psychobiological effects of near misses and losses disguised as wins (LDWs) in an effort to evaluate their precise influence on the player and to highlight areas requiring further investigation. A systematic search for relevant studies was conducted using Scopus, PubMed, PsycINFO, ProQuest Sociology databases, and the Gambling Research Exchange Ontario Knowledge Repository. A total of 51 (from an initial pool of 802) experimental peer-reviewed studies using human participants were found between 1991 and 2015. The systematic review revealed that near misses motivate continued play, but have varying effects on the emotional state or betting behaviour of the player. Near miss events were also shown to be associated with elevated skin conductance levels and diffuse activity across the brain, most consistently in areas processing reinforcement and reward. Re-examination of the studies of near misses events after classifying the type of game feedback suggested that the effectiveness of near misses is related to the phenomenology of a near miss itself rather than as a response to auditory or visual feedback provided by a slot machine. In contrast to near misses, the presence of LDWs was found to relate to an overestimation of how much a player is actually winning and was consistently viewed as an exciting event. The effect of LDWs appears to be driven by the presence of visuals and sounds most often associated with a true win. Practical implications and directions for future research are also discussed.

Problem Gambling among Adolescent Girls in Croatia-The Role of Different Psychosocial Predictors.

Although, compared to boys, adolescent girls gamble less often and less problematically, prevalence studies still show significant numbers of at risk/problem gamblers among girls. However, girl gambling has been on the sidelines of adolescent gambling research. The available studies usually focus only on a narrow set of correlates often ignoring that adolescent gambling is a complex phenomenon determined by various factors. Also, they often measure gambling related consequences with instruments that are not specifically developed for use on adolescents. In order to contribute to a better understanding of adolescent gambling this study focuses on problem gambling among girls. We consider different social, cognitive, motivational and behavioral factors as predictors of girl problem gambling. A total of 1,372 high-school girls from 7 Croatian cities participated in the study. They provided data on their gambling activities, peer gambling, cognitive distortions related to gambling, motivation for gambling, and levels of general risky behavior. As the only instrument developed specifically for use on adolescents, the Canadian Adolescent Gambling Inventory was used to examine adverse gambling consequences. Results show 7.4% of girls can be considered regular gamblers, and out of those who gambled at least once in their lifetime (n = 862), 11.2% already experience mild adverse consequences because of their gambling (at risk gamblers), with 3.2% experiencing serious consequences (problem gamblers). In general, girls seem to prefer lotto and scratch cards, but sports betting seems to be the preferred game of choice among regular girl gamblers. A hierarchical regression model confirmed the importance of much the same factors identified as risky for the development of problem gambling among adolescent boys—cognitive distortions, motives to earn money, to be better at gambling and to relax, the experiences of winning large and the drive to continue gambling, together with social factors such as having friends who also gamble, being involved in other risky and delinquent behavior and higher gambling frequency. Results call into question the importance of the motive to feel better for adolescent girls problem gambling. We discuss implications of our findings for both universal and indicated youth gambling prevention programs.

Neurobiological mechanisms of problem gambling and treatment

Background and aimsIn the past decade, neurobiological research on pathological gambling has flourished. Based on neurobiological similarities between pathological gambling and substance use disorders and similarities in genetics, diagnostic criteria, and effective treatments, pathological gambling was the first behavioral addiction to be included in the DSM-5 within the revised category Substance-related and addictive disorders.In this presentation novel findings from gambling research in our research group focusing on the role of impulsivity, anticipation towards monetary outcomes, and the interaction between stress and cue reactivity will be presented, with a focus on new functional MRI results. An overview will be given on the concepts of impulsivity and compulsivity in pathological gambling and relevant neurocognitive and neuroimaging findings. Implications of neurobiological research for novel intervention research, such as in neuromodulation studies and personalized medicine will be highlighted.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Is Gambling Contagious? An Analysis of Electronic Gambling Machine Clustering in Germany

There are sizeable differences in the Electronic Gambling Machine (EGM) supply among German regions. Furthermore, the EGM supply concentrates in certain regions which results in gambling hot spots. Interestingly the spatial clustering of EGM supply is still observed when we control for agglomeration effects caused by population. This leads to the question why the EGM supply concentrates in some regions and remains low in others. We argue that the concentration of supply can be mostly explained by the socioeconomic characteristics of these regions. This paper makes three central contributions to the location based gambling research. First, it visualizes the absolute and relative supply of EGMs in German communities and highlights the spatial clustering of high and low EGM density regions. Second, it implements socioeconomic and geographical control variables for a more distinct description of regional differences. Third, it employs spatial econometric modelling to quantify and explain the occurrence of EGM hot spots. For our analysis we use census and EGM market data. The main finding implies, that there is a clear clustering of the EGM supply across regions at first, but when considering the socioeconomic characteristics / deprivation of the regions, most of the clustering effect is erased. The model explains most of the clustering effect which appears to exist only when there is no slender consideration of the socioeconomic differences across regions. This result supports the hypothesis that high gambling activity in one region does not affect the gambling activity in neighboring regions.

Subtyping Gambling Acitivities: Case of Korca City, Albania

Gambling research has grown dramatically over the past 2-3 decades, however a lack of consensus regarding the risk factors and gambling etiology related to youth problem gambling still remain. So a better understanding of the nature of youth problem gambling could help us to clarify the etiology of gambling problems. Understanding gambling subtypes is necessary to improve our understanding of the etiology of problem gambling. The prediction of problem gambling is related with the participation in gambling activities. It is necessary to obtain a structure of gambling activities, in order to better understand gambling related problems and to treat problems in a more specified manner. The aim of the study was to determine the appropriate structure of gambling activities using factor analysis in a confirmatory framework. Students are a particularly interesting population in which to study gambling. The research utilized a cross-sectional design and self-report questionnaires. The study concludes that the two-factor solution better represents the chance-and skill-based gambling activities. The first factor is most strongly associated with chance-based activities (lottery, bingo, scratch cards). The second factor is most strongly associated with activities that require some degree of skill (poker, roulette, sport bet, racing, etc. ).

Problem gambling, anxiety and poverty: an examination of the relationship between poor mental health and gambling problems across socio-economic status

Socio-economic status has been shown to be significantly related to both problem gambling and mental health problems. Additionally, forms of psychopathology such as mood and anxiety disorders have been shown to correlate with problem gambling across a variety of settings. However, relatively little research has been conducted examining whether the connection between mood and anxiety disorders and problem gambling is consistent across different levels of socio-economic status. This study examines gambling-related problems among a representative sample of Canadian adults using the 2008 Canadian Community Health Survey (N = 28,271). Generalized linear modelling is used to analyze the data. A moderation effect is found that shows the relationship between anxiety disorders and problem gambling severity varies significantly across socio-economic status. This study shows that social setting has an important influence on the assumed relationship between psychopathology and gambling problems that is downplayed in current problem gambling research. A discussion of the need for greater inclusion of socio-economic context when making assumptions about the connections between problem gambling and psychiatric disorders is made in light of the responsibilities of gambling providers and regulators.

Effectiveness and efficiency in the treatment of gambling disorder: reflections on the Dodo Bird Conjecture.

In the field of research into the treatment of problem gambling, researchers have been attempting to identify the treatment pathways that are effective in remediating gambling disorder among people seeking help. In spite of these efforts, research results remain equivocal in relation to which components of the various treatment options are effective, echoing the familiar claim that all psychotherapy treatments are effective, the Dodo Bird Conjecture.This recent tendency towards the revival of the Dodo Bird Conjecture in the field of gambling research is due to factors ranging from a continuing lack of clarity about the effective components of treatments, subjective therapist effects and the lack of validated repeated measures of outcome to assess changes in self-reported data on gambling urge: anxiety, depression and changes in the 'gambling disorder' diagnosis over time.

The other side of the firewall.

The recommendations advanced by Livingstone & Adams are not only justified and timely, they are critical for the prevention of reputational risk to young as well as established investigators. The industry's self-designed firewall between science and gambling interests arguably does more to protect the industry than the scientist. Has the existing knowledge base been compromised by the influence of the gambling industry? Does the acceptance of money directly from industry provide the ‘potential for distortion’? Livingstone & Adams, in their ‘Statement of Concern’ 1, make a good case for both of these assertions, and they describe a set of principles that should become a standard for discussion, awareness-raising and research funding in the field of gambling research. In this commentary I want to focus on the nature of the so-called firewall established by gambling industry sources to limit the influence of industry funding on scientific research. The firewall metaphor is often invoked to justify the flow of money from industry organizations to the scientific community to allay concerns about industry influence. The industry's interest in research is not only academic. The characterization of problem gambling is the industry's ‘Achilles heel’ 2. My view, supported by the arguments provided by Livingstone & Adams, is that firewalls in funding for gambling research do not work as intended. I think that, in the United States, the National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) provides a good example of how the firewall fails to prevent important conflicts of interest and I believe that the result is that the scientists suffer the risk of reputational damage and becoming unwittingly aligned with industry objectives. NCRG was set up in 1996 and funds gambling research. Gambling executives from major corporations have substantial representation on the NCRG board. The Board appoints a Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) composed of gambling researchers. The SAB oversees the review of grant applications. There is ostensibly a firewall between the industry side of the organization and the SAB, but the SAB and review panel members appear to receive benefits. For example, in conflicts of interest (COI) declarations received by Addiction and other sources, I note that some members of the SAB received travel funding to the Las Vegas NCRG annual meeting. Some have received scientific achievement awards that include an honorarium of $5000. Others have received grants to administer research programs. It is reasonable to suppose that these kinds of benefits may influence their judgments, albeit not consciously. Whether or not they indeed have an influence, I believe the scientists involved are at risk of suffering reputational damage because of the perception of potential bias. A recent report commissioned by the European Research Council 3 concluded that gambling research is increasingly dependent upon industry support, funding bodies are motivated by priorities that mimimize or exclude the examination of industry products and research conferences are dominated by industry interests. In my view, the recommendations advanced by Livingstone & Adams are not only justified and timely, they are critical for the prevention of reputational risk to young as well as established investigators. They will also help to broaden the research agenda to include the search for real solutions to the problems caused by gambling products. None.

Gambling with interests.

Gambling with interests.

Fine-tuning Livingstone and Adams' ethical principles for integrity in gambling research.

Keywords: Conflict of interest; corporate political activity (CPA); gambling research; integrity; public interest

National estimates of Australian gambling prevalence: f indings from a dual‐frame omnibus survey

Background, aims and designThe increase in mobile telephone‐only households may be a source of bias for traditional landline gambling prevalence surveys. Aims were to: (1) identify Australian gambling participation and problem gambling prevalence using a dual‐frame (50% landline and 50% mobile telephone) computer‐assisted telephone interviewing methodology; (2) explore the predictors of sample frame and telephone status; and (3) explore the degree to which sample frame and telephone status moderate the relationships between respondent characteristics and problem gambling.Setting and participantsA total of 2000 adult respondents residing in Australia were interviewed from March to April 2013.MeasurementsParticipation in multiple gambling activities and Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI).FindingsEstimates were: gambling participation [63.9%, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 61.4–66.3], problem gambling (0.4%, 95% CI = 0.2–0.8), moderate‐risk gambling (1.9%, 95% CI = 1.3–2.6) and low‐risk gambling (3.0%, 95% CI = 2.2–4.0). Relative to the landline frame, the mobile frame was more likely to gamble on horse/greyhound races [odds ratio (OR) = 1.4], casino table games (OR = 5.0), sporting events (OR = 2.2), private games (OR = 1.9) and the internet (OR = 6.5); less likely to gamble on lotteries (OR = 0.6); and more likely to gamble on five or more activities (OR = 2.4), display problem gambling (OR = 6.4) and endorse PGSI items (OR = 2.4‐6.1). Only casino table gambling (OR = 2.9) and internet gambling (OR = 3.5) independently predicted mobile frame membership. Telephone status (landline frame versus mobile dual users and mobile‐only users) displayed similar findings. Finally, sample frame and/or telephone status moderated the relationship between gender, relationship status, health and problem gambling (OR = 2.9–7.6).ConclusionGiven expected future increases in the mobile telephone‐only population, best practice in population gambling research should use dual frame sampling methodologies (at least 50% landline and 50% mobile telephone) for telephone interviewing.

The PROblem Gambling RESearch Study (PROGRESS) research protocol: a pragmatic randomised controlled trial of psychological interventions for problem gambling

IntroductionInternational prevalence rates for problem gambling are estimated at 2.3%. Problem gambling is a serious global public health concern due to adverse personal and social consequences. Previous research evaluating the...

<italic>A Tribute to Dr. Phillip Donaldson</italic>: Passed away April 4, 2015

Dr. Phillip Donaldson received a PhD in cognitive psychology from Flinders University in 2010. His research interests in spatial cognition, attention, and visual perception, along with his passion for experimental design, were well suited to research in the areas of gambling and online gaming behaviour. Phill had established himself as a gifted early career researcher in the gambling field, having contributed as a founding member of CQUniversity’s Experimental Gambling Research Laboratory. His contributions included work on the impact of EGM jackpots on gambling behaviour, pre-commitment features, gambling environments, innovation in gambling products, and the measurement of gambling-related harm. He was chief investigator on the project that developed the scale to measure gambling-related stigma. In addition to being a talented early career researcher, Phill was a gifted lecturer, having won multiple awards for teaching innovation and quality.

Vulnerability modeling of casinos in the United States: A case study of Philadelphia

As the number of states that have legalized casino gaming has continued to increase in the United States, it is important to consider one of the most important costs identified in international gambling research, that of problem gambling. This project seeks to examine the potential impacts of problem gaming in the major metropolitan area of Philadelphia, which is currently the largest city in the United States with an open commercial casino. To understand the vulnerability to problem gaming of the neighborhoods where casinos are located in the metropolitan area of Philadelphia, a GIS vulnerability model was created in order to examine the accessibility to the casinos of those most vulnerable to problem gaming. The results show that three out of the four casinos in metropolitan Philadelphia are located in areas where people are vulnerable to problem gaming. These findings demonstrate a need for public policy to mitigate the potential impacts of problem gaming on the community. The GIS model created for this project is the first vulnerability study of a major urban area in the United States and has the potential to be expanded to contribute to gambling research within the United States and abroad.

Clear principles are needed for integrity in gambling research.

Commercial gambling is expanding rapidly across the globe. However, the field of gambling research has not kept pace with this expansion, and continues to focus on prevalence studies and individuated treatment regimes, with little attention to the political, economic or technological underpinnings of commercial gambling. The implications of this lack of sophistication in the research agenda are that society is ill-equipped to understand the nature and underlying causes of gambling harms, and how these might best be avoided, minimized or ameliorated. Around the world, various levels of government benefit from gambling revenue, with consequences for the independent regulation of gambling. Further, there is considerable industry influence on the research agenda, often involving similar techniques to those employed previously by the tobacco and alcohol industries to engage researchers. This influence is compounded by a failure of many gambling researchers and journals to adopt traditional academic safeguards, such as the disclosure of conflicts of interest, and by many arguing for a 'partnership model' with industry to advance the research agenda. This paper identifies five basic principles to restore reasonable standards of integrity in gambling studies: (1) research should not be funded by the proceeds of gambling; (2) research priorities should not be influenced by the beneficiaries of gambling; (3) conferences and other research fora should not be influenced by industry; (4) funding sources should be disclosed in journals and at conferences; and (5) meaningful access to gambling products and environments must be part of licensing. We also propose a range of actions to promote greater transparency and independence in the gambling research field.

Trends in Behavior-Analytic Gambling Research and Treatment.

The purpose of the present review was to analyze research outcomes for all gambling studies reported in the behavior analysis literature. We used the search term "gambling" to identify articles that were published in behaviorally oriented journals between the years 1992 and 2012 and categorized the content of each article as empirical or conceptual. Next, we examined and categorized the empirical articles by inclusion of an experimental manipulation and treatment to alleviate at least some aspect of pathological gambling, participant population used, type of gambling task employed in the research, whether the participants in the study actually gambled, and the behavioral phenomena of interest. The results show that the rate of publication of gambling research has increased in the last 6years, and a vast majority of articles are empirical. Of the empirical articles, examinations of treatment techniques or methods are scarce; slot machine play is the most represented form of gambling, and slightly greater than half of the research included compensation based on gambling outcomes within experiments. We discuss implications and future directions based on these observations of the published literature.