Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Importance Of Friends And Family To Recreational Gambling, At-Risk Gambling, And Problem Gambling, Alissa Mazar, Robert J. Williams, Edward J. Stanek Iii, Martha Zorn, Rachel A. Volberg

Biostatistics and Epidemiology Faculty Publications Series

Background

The variables correlated with problem gambling are routinely assessed and fairly well established. However, problem gamblers were all ‘at-risk’ and ‘recreational’ gamblers at some point. Thus, it is instructive from a prevention perspective to also understand the variables which discriminate between recreational gambling and at-risk gambling and whether they are similar or different to the ones correlated with problem gambling. This is the purpose of the present study.

Method

Between September 2013 to May 2014, a representative sample of 9,523 Massachusetts adults was administered a comprehensive survey of their past year gambling behavior and problem gambling symptomatology. Based on …

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 …

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 …

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.

A Gender Perspective On Gambling Clusters In Sweden Using Longitudinal Data, Ulla Romild, Jessika Svensson, Rachel Volberg

Biostatistics and Epidemiology Faculty Publications Series

AIMS - This study describes five groups of gamblers and changes in their gambling involvement and gambling problems over four years with a particular focus on whether gambling problems among men and women develop differently within the five groups. DESIGN - The study sample is a subset of participants from the Swedish Longitudinal Gambling Study (Swelogs). Six different clusters of past-year gambling, based on frequency of participation in the nine most common forms of gambling in Sweden (lotteries, horses, number games, sports games, bingo, poker, slot machines, casino games or TV contests) were identified in Two-Way Cluster Analysis after the …

The Gambler's Fallacy: A Test Of Football-Betting Market Efficiency, Ladd Kochman, Ravija Badarinathi

Ladd Kochman

Imaginary wagers placed on college football teams during the 2006-2010 seasons that were expected to beat the point spread following two games in which they lost both on the field and against the spread produced a wins-to-bets ratio that was statistically nonrandom but not profitable. However, when that rule was limited to the major conference schools, a significantly profitable W/B ratio emerged that challenges the efficiency of a competitive market.

Dogs No Longer Man's Best Friend: A Test Of Football Market Efficiency, Ladd Kochman

Ladd Kochman

The outcomes of wagers on underdogs in the National Football League for the 2003-2007 seasons indicated that what had been anomalous behavior no longer existed. The failure of underdogs to beat the spread in profitable or nonrandom fashion supports the argument that competitive markets are efficient and undermines the proposition that behavioral finance can illuminate exploitable betting patterns.

Revisiting The Streaking Teams Phenomenom: A Note, Ladd Kochman, Randy Goodwin

Ladd Kochman

In an effort to learn if systematic misperceptions by market participants can undermine efficient prices and create regular profit opportunities, Camerer (1989) and Brown and Sauer (1993) investigated whether participants in the basketball-betting market overbet streaking (or "hot") teams. The purpose of this note is determine whether streaking teams - both hot and cold-in college football alter point spreads to an exploitable degree. The pointwise outcomes of college football teams following 2-, 3-, 4-, 5-, 6-, 7-, 8-, and 9-game streaks during the 1996-2000 seasons. Streaks in the aggregate produced only breakeven results when used to predict the outcomes of …