Mental and Social Health Commons^™

Assessment Of Gambling And Co-Occurring Mental And Behavioral Health Disorders: Implications For Public Health, Nene C. Okunna

Doctoral Dissertations

Gambling is a very popular form of entertainment and socialization in the US and is generally considered a safe form of recreational activity. There is some evidence of associations between positive health outcomes, as well as poor behavioral and mental health conditions with gambling. However, the relationship between recreational gambling and risk health behaviors has been under researched and thus poorly understood. The 2011 Massachusetts Expanded Gaming Act provides the impetus to understand gambling related problems prior to the introduction of new gambling opportunities. The objectives of the study are twofold: (1) examine associations between recreational gambling and, behavioral and …

A Behavioural Account Of Mobile Gambling, Richard James, Richard Tunney, Claire O'Malley

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

Mobile gambling is an emerging market in which there is evidence that some gamblers are introduced to gambling through their mobile device, and that mobile gambling does not ‘cannibalise’ participation with other forms of gambling. There is a concern that mobile gamblers face distinct risks from other forms of gambling, particularly for harmful behaviours. This paper presentation outlines a behavioural account of mobile gambling that combines both the learned characteristics of problem gambling with how individuals interact with their mobile devices. This hypothesizes that the extended gaps between plays or sessions potentially attracts extended play, even in the face of …

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 …

Problem Gambling Prevalence And Risk Factors Among Older Adults, Nigel E. Turner Ph.D., John Mccready, Robert Mann Ph.D., Mark Van Der Maas, Hayley Hamilton, Tracy Schrans

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

Reports on the results of a study that interview older adults at casinos and racetrack slot machine venues (racinos) in Ontario. The study used an intercept survey employing cluster sampling methods to obtain a random sample of 2,103 Ontario older adults (aged 55 and older) gambling at seven sites across the province. Older adults exiting the gaming floor were randomly selected to be invited to participate in an interview / survey, which required about 15-20 minutes of their time. Participants provided information about their own gambling behavior and gambling-related problems, attitudes toward gambling, gambling and gambling problems in their community, …

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 …

Gambling Warning Messages: The Impact Of Winning And Losing On Message Reception Across A Gambling Episode, Rory A. Pfund, Meredith K. Ginley, Samuel C. Peter, James P. Whelan, Andrew W. Meyers

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

Warning messages prevent and modify risk-taking behaviors. When controlling the outcome of each wager, studies suggest such messages can increase a player’s knowledge about gambling-specific risks, modify their gambling-related cognitive distortions, and even change play. The present study takes the next step by asking if the reception of the warning message is influenced by the player’s experience of winning or losing.

In a laboratory study, participants were randomly assigned to a winning or losing gambling experience where they either viewed periodic warning messages or not. Using a mixed model analysis, the influence of the warning messages was related to players’ …

Interventions For Problem Gamblers In The Correctional System, Nigel E. Turner Ph.D., Flora Matheson

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

The prevalence rates of problem gambling in the adult correctional population are 5 to 10 times higher than those found in the general population. The purpose of this study is to examine the type of interventions used to deal with this population. We conducted a combination of literature review and key informant study to examine the state of programming for problem gambling for clients who experience incarceration. The published literature on this topic is remarkably sparse. In fact only two peer reviewed published studies were identified that formally evaluated a treatment program for problem gambling for clients in these settings. …

Gamblerization Of Post-Communist Society In Central Europe, Zdeněk Szczyrba, David Fiedor, Irena Smolová

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

Countries of Central European region (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary) joined a new stage of their development after 1989. In these countries, there was a building process of capitalism which went in parallel with far-reaching structural economic and social changes; such as the privatization of economies, de-industrialization but also gamblerization of society. Clarifying this term, gamblerization, it could be described as the process of a continuous penetration of gaming facilities in the area accompanied by an increased availability and accessibility of gaming machines in the society. It is important to say that this process was particularly allowed owing to …

Gambling Problems In The General Danish Population: Survey Evidence, Morten Lau, Don Ross

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

We develop surveys of gambling problems in the general Danish population. We compare several popular survey instruments of gambling behavior and gambling propensity to assess if they differ in their classification of individuals. We also examine correlations with standard survey instruments for alcohol use, anxiety, depression and impulsiveness. A feature of our design is that nobody was excluded on the basis of their response to a “trigger,” “gateway” or “diagnostic item” question about previous gambling history, allowing us to check for sample selection bias. Our sample consists of 8,405 adult Danes, which is 12.8% of the sample frame of 65,592 …

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.

Responsible Gambling Training: How Do We Know What’S Working?, Janine Robinson

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

No abstract provided.

Responsible Gambling Training In Ontario Canada, Janine Robinson

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

No abstract provided.

A Critical Conversation On Responsible Gaming In Canada And Beyond, Lena Quilty

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

No abstract provided.

Early Initiation Into Gambling Among Boys And Girls With Conduct Problems: A Prospective Study, Renee A. St-Pierre Ph.D., Véronique Frenette, Caroline E. Temcheff Ph.D., Michèle Déry Ph.D., Jean-Pascal Lemelin Ph.D., Jean Toupin Ph.D., Pierrette Verlaan Ph.D.

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

Context. Both early initiation into gambling (Rahman et al., 2012; Slutske et al., 2014) and conduct problems (Welte et al., 2009, 2011) have been identified as independent risk factors for later gambling problems. However, few longitudinal studies have examined the associations between these two risk factors, as well as their predictive relationship with gambling initiation among children and adolescents. Research Question. Are conduct problems a risk factor for early initiation into gambling, over and above other known risk factors?

Method. This study used data from an ongoing prospective, longitudinal study at the Université de Sherbrooke in order to examine gambling …

The Cost Of Getting Lost: Measuring The Slot Machine ‘Zone’ With Attentional Dual Tasks, W. Spencer Murch

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

A contemporary stance on regular and problematic electronic gaming machine (EGM) gamblers argues that these individuals use machine gambling as a means of escaping aversive feelings rather than as a means of seeking out excitement. Often called “The Slot Machine Zone,” this hypothesis currently rests on qualitative and anecdotal data suggesting that machine gamblers are somehow lost in the game (Schüll, 2012). Conceptually similar to work on flow and dissociation, the zone hypothesis predicts that problematic EGM play is associated with 1) increased self-reported dissociation / immersion, 2) attenuated peripheral attention, and 3) a positive physiological state as a result. …