Statistics and Probability Commons^™

Payments Data In Gambling Research, Kasra Ghaharian, Mana Azizsoltani

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

A considerable body of gambling-related research has leveraged gamblers' behavioral tracking data to address a broad set of research questions. These data have typically comprised of gamblers' betting-related behaviors including, for example, the frequency and volume of betting. The analysis of gamblers' payment-related behavioral data is far less common, but provides a fruitful avenue gambling-related research.

In this presentation we discuss a selection of potential research opportunities that payments transaction data presents. We supplement this discussion with specific analyses that have been performed by our research group. We also discuss knowledge gaps and areas for future research.

Research On Problem Gambling Websites, Chang Boon Patrick Lee

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

This is a continuation of a series of studies on problem gambling websites. It has been noted in prior studies that one avenue problem gamblers might look for help was to go online to perform a web search. Online help is practical as help can be located immediately and this can help to ease the gamblers’ concerns that they are left alone to handle their own problems. While there are some anecdotal evidences regarding the success of problem gambling websites, there have been few empirical studies that relate directly to the perceptions and usefulness of the websites for the problem …

Mandatory Pre-Commitment Loss Limits: Six Years’ Experience Shows It Works, Bjorn H. Hoffmann

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

The Norwegian state owned company Norsk Tipping is a pioneer in the gambling indusrty with its secure player identification and mandatory registered play across all channels. Knowing who your player is and having a strong link between the player and his consumption of games across all channels (land based, EGM, web and mobile) is an important premise for having a credible responsible gaming platform.

Norsk Tipping introduced in 2009 EGM’s with both pre commitment tools and maximum loss limits. In 2014 we introduced our Internet casino with probably the best responsible gambling platform in the world, including mandatory loss limits. …

An Empirical Evaluation Of The Clubsnsw (Australia) Multi-Venue Self-Exclusion Program, Dylan A. Pickering, Alexander Blaszczynski, Sally Gainsbury, Rowan Cameron

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

Few empirical studies have evaluated the effectiveness of self-exclusion programs. Research is required to identify factors contributing to decisions to enter and/or breach self-exclusion orders, or to self-excluded gamblers to seek additional treatment. Clinical characteristics of self-excluders remain relatively unknown in addition to factors that differentiate gamblers who do or do not breach. Limitations of current programs are that gamblers can self-exclude from only one or a limited number of venues. The Multi-venue Self-exclusion program, developed and implemented by ClubsNSW (Australia), is a centralised web-based system designed to help problem gamblers self exclude from up to 35 venues at a …

Best Practices For Self-Exclusion Reinstatement And Renewal, Alex Price

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

While many studies have examined self-exclusion few have focused on the processes through which gamblers return at the end of their agreements. In 2014, the RGC Centre for the Advancement of Best Practices examined voluntary self-exclusion reinstatement and renewal in an effort to develop evidence-informed best-practices for both land-based and online gambling operations. The presentation outlines the findings of the study and the recommended best practices for reintegration and ban renewal.

The study examined a range of practices around the world. In the end the study recommended an active reinstatement process in which all participants are required to apply to …

Ready, Set, And Go Back: The Role Of The Judiciary In Brazil’S Bingo Ban, Luiza Jobim Llm, Toni Williams

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

Brazil, the host of the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics, is known for strong competitive traditions in sports and games. It is also one of only three G-20 countries (together with Saudi Arabia and Indonesia) that currently bans non-state provision of gambling products. Bingo was a notable exception to this prohibition, after enabling legislation was enacted in 1993, with the intention that proceeds would help fund national sports development. The game quickly became very popular but there were persistent questions about, and contestations over, the capacity of the regulatory framework to control the dual risks of exploitation of …

The Future Of Gambling Spaces: Esports And The World Of Competitive Video Gaming, Brett Abarbanel, Bryce Blum, Chris Grove, Carson Knuth, Seth Schorr, Rahul Sood

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

eSports, or competitive video gaming, are a rapidly developing segment of sport and gaming. eSports are a unique cultural and economic phenomenon, and only recently is this nascent industry garnering substantial attention from gambling operators, regulators, and researchers. In 2015, an estimated quarter of a billion dollars will be wagered on eSports, a number projected to grow to $23 billion by 2020 (Eilers Research, 2015).

This panel presentation will provide a general overview of eSports, including some background on the industry, a description of the market and general business model, information about the gambling opportunities within eSports, sponsorship opportunities and …

Profiling At-Risk Gamblers, Tapio Jaakkola, Kari Vuorinen, Mirka Smolej

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

The majority of gambling research has been concentrating on problem gambling and on the association between gambling behavior, game design and gambling harm. Much less attention has been directed at recreational gambling or on players that do not suffer from any gambling related problems. However, when it comes to preventing gambling harm we should also target those at risk as well those who are gambling moderately.

As a part of a project on prevention of adult gambling harm we did a study of at-risk gamblers in order to recognize and to define the socio-economic background of our target group. Prior …

Measuring Market Saturation In The U.S. Casino Industry: An Analytical And Empirical Analysis, Clyde W. Barrow, Alan P. Meister, David R. Borges

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

The national and regional economies in the U.S. remain on a slow growth trajectory, while the casino gaming industry has seen a rapid and ongoing expansion. Consequently, states, Native American tribes, and gaming operators have increasingly shifted their attention from gaming expansion to the problems of regional competition, cannibalization, market maturation, and market saturation. The question of “market saturation” has become a salient point of public policy debate and a topic that is now frequently raised in the industry and media. This paper analyzes the concept of saturation in the context of casino gaming markets and compares several metrics for …

Optimizing The Mix Of Games And Their Locations On The Casino Floor, Jason D. Fiege, Anastasia D. Baran

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

We present a mathematical framework and computational approach that aims to optimize the mix and locations of slot machine types and denominations, plus other games to maximize the overall performance of the gaming floor. This problem belongs to a larger class of spatial resource optimization problems, concerned with optimizing the allocation and spatial distribution of finite resources, subject to various constraints. We introduce a powerful multi-objective evolutionary optimization and data-modelling platform, developed by the presenter since 2002, and show how this software can be used for casino floor optimization. We begin by extending a linear formulation of the casino floor …

A New Variant Of Baccarat For Vip Players, Stewart N. Ethier, Jiyeon Lee

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

In 2013 baccarat generated over US$41 billion in revenue for the 35 casinos of Macau, of which nearly US$30 billion was attributed to VIP players (high-stakes gamblers). Although the VIP market segment has declined over the past two years, it is still substantial. In this talk we propose a new variant of baccarat that will appeal to and attract VIP players. Its appeal lies in the facts that (a) it has a historical connection to baccarat and (b) it is closer to a fair game than is baccarat.

Generational Differences In Gambling Behavior And Attitudes, Don Feeney, Todd Maki

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

The five generations that make up the adult population of North America and Europe differ greatly in their gambling behavior and their beliefs and attitudes towards gambling. This presentation will discuss data that demonstrate the extent of these differences as well as the cultural background and formative experiences that led to them. It will conclude with a discussion of implications for the gambling industry, responsible gambling, public policy, and for those concerned with the prevention and treatment of gambling problems.

Stationary And Time-Dependent Optimization Of The Casino Floor Slot Machine Mix, Anastasia D. Baran, Jason D. Fiege

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

Modeling and optimizing the performance of a mix of slot machines on a gaming floor can be addressed at various levels of coarseness, and may or may not consider time-dependent trends. For example, a model might consider only time-averaged, aggregate data for all machines of a given type; time-dependent aggregate data; time-averaged data for individual machines; or fully time dependent data for individual machines. Fine-grained, time-dependent data for individual machines offers the most potential for detailed analysis and improvements to the casino floor performance, but also suffers the greatest amount of statistical noise. We present a theoretical analysis of single …

Psychiatric Comorbidities In Gambling And The Clubsnsw Chaplaincy Program (Australia), Melanie Hartmann, Alex Blaszczynski, Rowan Cameron

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

A recent systematic review of population studies conducted over the last 12 years indicated that 57.5% of individuals meeting criteria for a gambling disorder have a comorbid substance use disorder, 60.1% a nicotine dependence, 57.5% a mood disorder, and 37.4%, any anxiety disorder. In a proportion of these, the comorbid condition predates the onset of gambling disorders suggesting these might represent a vulnerability factor. These findings suggest important implications for gambling prevention and treatments. Instead of promoting only gambling specific interventions and treatments, the emphasis needs to be on a more holistic approach that includes screening for and treating comorbid …

Privacy-Preserving Data Mining On Hospitality Big Data, Mandana Bozorgi, Yoohwan Kim

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

In this paper we present a summary of our activity associated with the security and encryption the big data on the hotels big data. We give a brief introduction to some techniques for security the data set in large scale, we then look into the homomorphism and Map Reduce environment. With the advances in computer architecture and silicon technology, processing large data set becomes possible after some fundamental data storage and processing algorithm been proposed and implemented. Analyzing the big data opened many opportunities for scientists in different research and application areas. Hospitality industry, for example, collects and keeps customers …

Responsible Gaming Certification Standards, Dietmar Hoscher

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

The European Casino Association (ECA) is representing the licensed European Casino industry in Brussels. It represents some 900 casinos form 24 European countires which employ around 70.000 staff.

In 2013 the ECA launched a project among its members concerning Responsible Gaming. A Working Group headed by Prof. Hoscher a Board Mamber of Casinos Austria AG was formed. The members where Resposnible Gaming Experts fom the different companies and associations within the ECA network.

The working group established a Responsible Gaming Framework that represents a collection of measures to presevent gambling addictions and identify vulonerable persons. The collection of measures are …

Session 4-2-A: Taking The Disorder Out Of Gambling Disorder, Denise F. Quirk, Colin M. Hodgen

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

DSM‐5 Gambling Disorder

A. Persistent and recurrent problematic gambling behavior leading to clinically significant impairment or distress, as indicated by four (or more) of the following in a 12‐month period:

A. Persistent and recurrent maladaptive gambling behavior as indicated by five (or more) of the following:

Session 4-2-C: Dissociating The Roles Of Delay And Probability Discounting In Gambling Behavior, Will Shead, Emad Talisman

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

Now or Later?

How would you like a gift?

Now vs. 1 week

Rewards now are worth more than later

- Delayed rewards are discounted

Session 4-1-D: The Experience Of Lotto 6/49 And The Capacity To Trust: Elements For An Anthropology Of Gambling, Jocelyn Gadbois

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

Anthropologists study Lotto 6/49 as an experience.

Lévy-Bruhl tries to compare the magical beliefs of serious gamblers with the magical beliefs of individuals he refers to as the ‘‘primitives’’ (1924).

After that, Henslin studied the superstitions of St.Louis taxi drivers who play craps during their work breaks and compared them to Skinner’s pigeon (1967).

I wanted in my thesis to help anthropology to reconstruct lost knowledge regarding gambling and beliefs about magic in capitalist society.

Session 4-1-B: Casino Legalization As An Evolutionary Game -- Who Will Be The Next?, Miao He

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

Introduction

For the community/governor who has a strong preposition to casino gaming (e.g., gambler, religious group), his/her motivation to participate/accept casino legalization is

∆P_AE_A+t_A>c_î and ∆P_B(R_B+E_B)+t_B>c_Ĵ

What’s the motivation for the other community/governors who are neutral to casino gaming?

How the casino legalization process evolved and finally reached the equilibrium state?

Session 4-1-C: Social Media Gambling Games: Impact On Young People, Sally Gainsbury, Jeffrey L. Derevensky

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

Key concerns for youth

Normalisation & positive impressions of gambling

Misrepresenting the odds of winning

Encouraging transition to real money gambling

Development of problems

Session 4-1-D: The Ant And The Grasshopper: Western Casino Operators In Macau And Singapore, Sudhir Kale

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

Objectives

Understand the impact of market conditions and managerial orientation on employee satisfaction, organizational identification, and service quality in Macau/ Singapore Casino Industry.

Highlight long-term adverse impact of poor service quality on market share and profitability.

Provide guidelines for action.

Session 4-1-A: The Problem Gambling Center, Robert Hunter

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

Provides information and statistics on the Problem Gambling Center.

Session 3-4-A: Public Opinion And Problem Gambling, Don Feeney

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

What do we need to know?

How does the public perceive addiction?

Do they stigmatize addiction?

Do they recognize gambling addiction?

Do they understand the causes?

Do they understand the solutions?

Do they know where to go for help?

Do they know preventative factors?

What are they willing to do?

What messages are credible and appealing?

Session 3-4-B: Evaluating The Performance Of Macao’S Gaming Industry, Day-Yang Liu

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

The purpose of research

The stringently competitive nature of the casino entertainment market in the Macao necessitates that managers fully utilize knowledge expertise to increase efficiency in operations management.

Therefore, this study employs data envelopment analysis (DEA) model to estimate the efficiency and productivity of the casino entertainment industry in Macao.

Session 3-3-C: The National Longitudinal Study Of Gambling Behaviour (Nlsgb): Preliminary Results, Andrew Dellis, Andre Hofmeyr, Harold Kincaid, Don Ross

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

Introduction

The NLSGB tracked 300 gamblers over a 15-month period.

A comprehensive survey instrument was compiled to analyse factors that might influence changes in risk of gambling problems over time.

The study was conducted in the four major metropolitan areas of South Africa: Johannesburg, Tshwane, Durban and Cape Town. We will discuss the study’s design and implementation and some preliminary results.

Session 3-3-A: An Improved Pathways Development Model Of Problem Gambling: A Summary Of 11 Studies In Hong Kong And Macau, Amy Chiu Sau Lam, Alice Chan Ying Ying, Chi Chuen Chan

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

Introduction

The rationale of this study came from a casual meeting of our supervisor Dr. Chan Chi Chuen and Professor Blaszczynski on a bus after the 2009 Reno conference.

On the bus, C. C. promised Mr. Blaszczynski that he would validate the pathways model in Hong Kong and Macau. And in the next 5 years, Dr. C.C. Chan and his students conducted 11 research projects on problem gambling in Hong Kong and Macau.

Purposes of current study

• To arrive on a summary finding from 11 studies on problem gambling
• To validate the pathways development model proposed by Blaszczynski & Nower …

Session 3-3-A: The ‘Circles Concept’ Of Gambling Addiction: An Empowered Framework For Change, Harry B. Mayr

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

The original ‘Circles Concept of (Gambling) Addiction’ was developed by Harry Mayr in 1982, while working as an addictions counsellor in a community-based health centre. It has always been a ‘user friendly’ concept … applicable and understood by people from all cultures, across all ages, and with or without an addiction issue. Years later, people have informed Mr Mayr how they still remember ‘those circles’, and how the concept helped them.

The ‘Circles Concept of (Gambling) Addiction’ is therefore a concept remembered as much for its visual cues as its verbal explanation – and thus applicable across languages, cognitive and …

Session 3-3-F: Measuring The Price Of Discrimination With Data On Poker Games, Ingo Fiedler

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

Introduction

Economic theory suggests that discrimination is price sensitive and money an equalizer

This means that discrimination decreases the higher the private costs for the discriminator

Economic reasoning: Discrimination comes at a price for the discriminator

• Example: an employer discriminates against potential employees with a non-white skin tone and thus may miss the best employees who then work for a competitor.
• Imperfect competition leads to rents and rents can be used to discriminate and they can be discrimination in itself. [Jomo, 2003].
• Competition reduces discrimination

Session 3-3-B: The Interplay Between Law, Development And Spillover Effects Of Casino Gaming: Theory And The Asian Evidences, Ricardo Chi Sen Siu

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

Taking into consideration of the unique features and practice of casino gaming, the significance of law in the development of this industry, and the onging interactions between law, the industry’s succeeding performance and its spillover effects are generalized and illustrated in this paper. Based on the rationales of law and economics, and the institutional approach to economic analysis, a functional model is constructed to depict the related interplaying forces and the development of casino gaming. In principle, it is shown that business scope and scale of casino gaming is largely defined by law on one hand, and the revisions of …