Problem gambling

Poor South Africans are significantly poorer and have lower employment rates than the subjects of most published research on gambling prevalence and problem gambling. Some existing work suggests relationships between gambling activity (including severity of risk for problem gambling), income, employment status and casino proximity. The objective of the study reported here is to establish the prevalence of gambling, including at risk and pathological gambling, and the profile of gambling activities in two samples of poor South

Objective To compare gambling behaviors in a random sample of community residents with and without mental disorders identified by the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). Method A large national community survey conducted by Statistics Canada included questions about problems arising from gambling activities as per the Canadian Problem Gambling Index (CPGI). We compared respondents within three gambling severity categories (non-problem, low severity and moderate/high severity gambling) across three diagnostic groupings (mood/anxiety disorders, substance dependence/harmful alcohol use, no selected psychiatric disorder). Results Of the 14,934 respondents age 18-64 years who engaged in at least one type of gambling activity in the previous 12 months, 5.8% fell in the low severity gambling category while 2.9% fell in the moderate/high severity category. Females accounted for 51.7% of the sample. The risk of moderate/high severity gambling was 1.7 times higher in persons with mood or anxiety disorder compared to persons with no selected disorder. For persons with substance dependence or harmful alcohol use, the risk of moderate/high severity gambling was 2.9 times higher. Persons with both mood/anxiety and substance/ alcohol disorders were five times more likely to be moderate/high severity gamblers. The odds ratio for females was 0.6 and for those with less than post-secondary education it was 1.52. Differences in age and personal income were not significant.

There have been several recent lawsuits in which problem gamblers (or those affected by problem gambling) have sued casinos or other gaming companies for damages relating to bankruptcies, suicides, and other negative consequences of compulsive gambling. Although the legal cases have been decided in favor of the gaming companies, it can seem as though there is a moral residue in some of these cases: perhaps some of the actions of the gaming companies, though legal, have been morally problematic. This case invites students to explore this possibility by introducing them to the facts surrounding the lawsuits and highlighting some of the most salient moral considerations. Students will also be asked to reflect on the public policy implications, if any, of their findings.

Studies attempting to identify the specific 'addictive' features of electronic gaming machines (EGMs) have yielded largely inconclusive results, suggesting that it is the interaction between a gambler's cognitions and the machine, rather than the machine itself, which fuels excessive play. Research has reported that machine players with gambling problems adopt a number of erroneous cognitive perceptions regarding the probability of winning and the nature of randomness. What is unknown, however, is whether motivations for gambling and attitudes toward pre-session monetary limit-setting vary across levels of gambling severity, and whether proposed precommitment strategies would be useful in minimizing excessive gambling expenditures. The current study explored these concepts in a sample of 127 adults, ages 18 to 81, attending one of four gambling venues in Queensland, Australia. The study found that problem gamblers were more likely than other gamblers to play machines to earn income or escape their problems rather than for fun and enjoyment. Similarly, they were less likely to endorse any type of monetary limit-setting prior to play. They were also reticent to adopt the use of a 'smart card' or other strategy to limit access to money during a session, though they indicated they lost track of money while gambling and were rarely aware of whether they were winning or losing during play. Implications for precommitment policies and further research are discussed.

Previous studies of problem gamblers portray this group as being almost exclusively male. However, this study demonstrates that females comprised 46% of the population (n = 1,520) of persons who sought assistance due to concerns about their gambling from the publicly-funded BreakEven counselling services in the state of Victoria, Australia, in one 12-month period. This suggests that the model of service delivery which is community based counselling on a non-residential basis may be better able to attract female clients than treatment centres where males predominate such as veterans centres. A comparative analysis of the social and demographic characteristics of female and male gamblers within the study population was undertaken. As with previous studies, we have found significant differences between males and females who have sought help for problems associated with their gambling. Gender differences revealed in this study include females being far more likely to use electronic gaming machines (91.1% vs. 61.4%), older (39.6 years vs. 36.1 years), more likely to be born in Australia (79.4% vs. 74.7%), to be married (42.8% vs. 30.2%), living with family (78.9% vs. 61.5%) and to have dependent children (48.4% vs. 35.7 %), than males who present at these services. Female gamblers (A$7,342) reported average gambling debts of less than half of that owed by males . These gender differences have implications for the development and conduct of problem gambling counselling services as it cannot be assumed that models of service which have demonstrated effectiveness with males will be similarly effective with females.

Most European sports betting operators now feature “cash out” functionalities in their online platforms. This means (as outlined
in the examples above) that bettors can withdraw their bets before the event bet upon has concluded, obtaining a smaller but guaranteed return if the outcome of the bet is going their way, or, conversely, cutting down the monetary impact of a foreseeable loss. The cash out functionality
has rapidly become popular among sports bettors that bet in-play (i.e., during the game on things such as soccer matches and horse races) as a way of maximizing value on the bets they have made.

In 3 studies, the authors developed and began to validate a measure of the propensity to act rashly in response to positive affective states ( positive urgency). In Study 1, they developed a content-valid 14-item scale, showed that the measure was unidimensional, and showed that positive urgency was distinct from impulsivity-like constructs identified in 2 models of impulsive behavior. In Study 2, they showed that positive urgency explained variance in risky behavior not explained by measures of other impulsivity-like constructs, differentially explained positive mood-based risky behavior, differentiated individuals at risk for problem gambling from those not at risk, and interacted with drinking motives and expectancies as predicted to explain problem drinking behavior. In Study 3, they confirmed the hypothesis that positive urgency differentiated alcoholics from both eating-disordered and control individuals.

Sports betting advertising has arguably permeated contemporary sport consumption in many countries. Advertisements build narratives that represent situations and characters that normalise betting behaviour and raise public concerns regarding their detrimental effect on vulnerable groups. Adopting a grounded theory approach,
the present study examined a British sample of sports betting advertisements (N = 102) from 2014 to 2016. The analysis revealed that individual themes aligned in a single core narrative, constructing a dual persuasive strategy of sports betting advertising: (i) to reduce the perceived risk involved in betting (with themes such as betting with friends, free money offers, humour, or the use of celebrities) while (ii) enhancing the perceived control of bettors (including themes of masculinity and sport knowledge). In addition, new technological features of sports betting platforms (e.g. live in-play betting) were used by advertisers to build narratives in which the ability to predict a sports outcome was overlapped by the ability of bettors to use such platforms, equalizing the ease of betting with the ease of winning. Based on the data analysed, it was concluded that the construction of a magnified idea of control in sports betting advertising is a cause for concern that requires close regulatory scrutiny.

Background and aims: In recent years online gambling has become a potential risk for young people. The purpose of this study was to analyse patterns of gambling activities and their association with behavioural risk factors and protective factors. Data and Method: A demographically balanced sample of Finnish respondents aged 15-25 years (N ¼ 1200) filled out an online survey in March-April 2017. Principal component analysis was used to reduce the variables on gambling activities to smaller sets of components, and regression analysis was used to analyse whether behavioural risk factors and protective factors were associated with the gambling patterns found. Results: Two main components were found: online-and skill-based competent gambling and chance-based entertainment gambling. Competent gambling had statistically significant associations with a variety of behavioural problems and risks, including psychological distress, lower social support, lower delay of gratification, hazardous drinking, regular drug use, compulsive Internet use, and problem gambling. Entertainment gambling was associated with lower delay

The pervasiveness of sports betting marketing and advertising is arguably normalising betting behaviour among increasingly larger groups of population. In their adverts, bookmakers represent characters and situations that conventionalise betting and promote specific behaviours while ignoring others. The present study examined a sample of British and Spanish sports betting television adverts (N=135) from 2014 to 2016 to understand how bettors and betting are being represented. Using content analysis, 31 different variables grouped into seven broad categories were assessed, including general information about the advert, the characters and situations represented, the identification of the characters with sports, the use of online betting, the co-representation of gambling along other risky behaviours such as eating junk food and drinking alcohol, the amount of money wagered, and other variables such as the representation of free bets, humour, and celebrities. The results showed a male-dominant betting representation with no interaction between women. Typically, bettors were depicted surrounded by people but isolated in their betting, emphasising the individual consumption practice that mobile betting promotes. In-play betting was observed in almost half of the adverts. A little empirical
evidence indicates that betting while watching sport in betting adverts is associated with emotionally
charged situations such as celebrations and/or alcohol drinking. Bettors were typically depicted staking
small amounts of money with large potential returns, implying high risk bets. Overall, the study provides preliminary evidence in understanding the social representation of betting behaviour by bookmakers and critiques the problematic consequences of such representation from a public health perspective.

This case report of a 31 year old woman who described her main problem as an uncontrollable urge to gamble on electronic gaming machines describes the application of exposure therapy (ET) by videoconferencing and the use of a clinical therapy assistant in the treatment of pathological gambling. The case study is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of this treatment with six sessions of therapy and 4 year follow up. The use of videoconferencing is discussed in relation to treatment effectiveness, ongoing follow up for the client and education and support for a community mental health nurse, therapy assistant, in a rural setting in South Australia. The implications of using this modality for the treatment of rural patients with problem gambling is discussed.

Over the last years, several comprehensive training programs for problem gambling have been developed and implemented in various casinos around the world. However, the efficacy of these programs has rarely been assessed and evaluated scientifically. A workshop called Des gens qui font la différence (People Making a Difference) was developed to train casino employees about problem gambling and how to offer help to gamblers in crisis. Two thousand four hundred and thirty-two (2,432) employees of the three casinos in the province of Quebec, Canada were enrolled in these training sessions. The employees completed a self-administered questionnaire at the beginning and at the end of the session, and were also invited to participate in a 6-month follow-up. One-thousand six-hundred fifteen (1,615) employees of the three casinos agreed to be contacted by phone for the follow-up. Of this number, 789 answered the questionnaire, which constitutes a participation rate of 32%. The results showed that participants demonstrated a better understanding of the notions of chance and randomness, and of problem gambling. They were more convinced of their role in identifying gamblers in crisis and displayed a greater knowledge of the procedure that has been implemented to help gamblers. At the follow-up, results indicated that participants maintained a good understanding of the notion of randomness and remained convinced about the importance of receiving information about available help and resources. However, some notions about problem gambling and the procedure implemented to help gamblers in crisis were not well maintained. In conclusion, the awareness training session on responsible gambling allowed employees to increase their knowledge about gambling and improve their attitudes regarding gamblers. Since some important components that were taught-such as the established procedure to help gamblers-were not well assimilated, awareness training program planners in casinos need to schedule for additional information to be made available (refresher courses, posters, brochures, videos) to keep employees well informed.

Close, J., Spicer, S., Nicklin, L. L., Uther, M., Lloyd, J., & Lloyd, H.

Introduction: Loot boxes are purchasable randomised reward mechanisms in video games. Due to structural and psychological similarities with gambling, there are fears that loot box purchasing may be associated with problematic gambling. Whilst monthly expenditure is typically modest (i.e. < $20), the distribution is highly
skewed, with a small number of high-level spenders, sometimes referred to as “whales”. It is not known what proportion of industry profits are derived from such players, and whether they are typically wealthy individuals and/or problem gamblers.
Methods: We used structured literature searches to identify surveys of gamers with open-access loot box data. The resulting datasets were aggregated, and correlations between loot box expenditure, problem gambling and earnings investigated using Spearman’s rho correlations. Results: The combined open-access data comprised 7,767 loot box purchasers (5,933 with self-report earnings). Secondary analysis of this self-report data confirmed that disproportionate revenue appears to be generated from high-level spenders: the top 5% of spenders (> $100/month) represent half of loot box revenue. Previously reported correlations between problem gambling and loot box expenditure were confirmed, with an aggregate correlation of ρ = 0.34, p < .001. In contrast, there was no significant correlation between loot box spend and
earnings ρ = 0.02, p = .10. Conclusion: Our secondary analysis suggests that games developers (unwittingly or not) are disproportionately profiting from moderate and high-risk gamblers, rather than high earning customers. Such patterns of spending
mirror those observed with gambling revenues, and have implications for harm minimisation and ongoing policy debates around loot boxes.

Traditional therapies for addictions are underutilized and characterized by high attrition rates suggesting they may not meet the needs of a proportion of individuals with addiction-related problems including problem drinking, smoking, substance use and problem gambling. Internet-based therapy has emerged as a new treatment modality for psychological disorders and health issues and this review is the first attempt to summarize and evaluate the evidence of the effectiveness of Internet therapy for addictions. Extensive literature searches were conducted to identify studies meeting the criteria of delivering structured Internet-based treatment programs for addictions that incorporated a component of trained therapist interaction. Only nine studies met criteria for inclusion with seven representing a randomized controlled trial. These included seven papers reporting on tobacco-cessation programs, one Internet-based therapy for pathological gambling, and one treatment program for substance abuse. A range of therapeutic models, treatment components and outcome measures was included across these studies. Positive treatment effects were reported following completion of therapy and at longer-term follow-up. The review concluded that Internet-based therapies for addictions are effective in achieving positive behavioral changes but that more research is required to determine the comparative effectiveness of various Internet-based therapies and their components.

Background and objectives: The etiology of problem gambling is multifaceted and complex. Among others factors, poor decision making, cognitive distortions (i.e., irrational beliefs about gambling), and emotional factors (e.g., negative mood states) appear to be among the most important factors in the development and maintenance of problem gambling. Although empirical evidence has suggested that cognitive distortions facilitate gambling and negative emotions are associated with gambling, the interplay between cognitive distortions, emotional states, and decision making in gambling remains unexplored. Methods: Pathological gamblers (N ¼ 54) and healthy controls (N ¼ 54) completed the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS), the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), the Gambling Related Cognitions Scale (GRCS), and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21). Results: Compared to healthy controls, pathological gamblers showed poorer decision making and reported higher scores on measures assessing cognitive distortions and emotional distress. All measures were positively associated with gambling severity. A significant negative correlation between decision making and cognitive distortions was also observed. No associations were found between poor decision making and emotional distress. Logistic regression analysis indicated that cognitive distortions, emotional distress, and poor decision making were significant predictors of problem gambling. Limitations: The use of self-report measures and the absence of female participants limit the general-izability of the reported findings. Conclusions: The present study is the first to demonstrate the mutual influence between irrational beliefs and poor decision making, as well as the role of cognitive bias, emotional distress, and poor decision making in gambling disorder.

Previous research has demonstrated that adult pathological gamblers (compared to controls) show risk-proneness, foreshortened time horizon, and preference for immediate rewards. No study has ever examined the interplay of these factors in adolescent gambling. A total of 104 adolescents took part in the research. Two equal-number groups of adolescent non-problem and problem gamblers, defined using the South Oaks Gambling Screen-Revised for Adolescents, were administered the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART), the Consideration of Future Consequences (CFC-14) scale, and the Monetary Choice Questionnaire (MCQ). Adolescent problem gamblers were found to be more risk-prone, more oriented to the present, and to discount delay rewards more steeply than adolescent non-problem gamblers. Results of logistic regression analysis revealed that BART, MCQ, and CFC scores predicted gambling severity. These novel finding provides the first evidence of an association among problematic gambling, high risk-taking proneness, steep delay discounting, and foreshortened time horizon among adolescents. It may be that excessive gambling induces shortsighted behaviors that, in turn, facilitate gambling involvement.

On October 9th 1993, the Casino of Montreal opened up as a new adult public place owned by the provincial government through the corporation of Loto-Québec. Today, it still inherits the original exterior design of the ‘Pavilion de France’ during the universal exposition of 1967. We will discuss of this casino after he was adjusted in 2009 renovations to modern consumption methods  similarly used in shopping centers.

We are looking to study why this casino became a symbolic cultural place through the ways in which it impacts people’s lives and behaviors. During our participant observation research, we tried to understand the cultural and social relevance of the casino experience. We explored the casino and the 777 bus and managed to figure out some of the patterns, habits and objectives behind the people who chooses this experience. However, I believe that to understand the meanings generated by it we have to explain how they correspond to a range of behaviors.

Therefore, we first had to aim at sketching the population of casino enthusiasts in order to draw attention at the reasons behind choosing the casino experience. In general, we tend to observe the interactions between the individuals and the casino whether through its employees, machines, tables and activities. Nonetheless, the interactions between clients are also important since they are mostly forged around the casino’s activities. However, for such interactions, you must be a client as well which we could not afford as much, the bus was another way to reach out to casino enthusiast as well as to not disrupt the casino’s clients. So far, we only experienced the act of casino gambling two times and we shall demonstrate what we have learned from them in the final paper. How does the casino excite human interactions through unique types of consumption incentives linked to gambling or what I would call it the ‘playability of money’? Are gambling and casinos culturally representative of the modern society?

Գրքում ներկայացված են խաղամոլության հիմնական տեսակները, վերջինիս պատճառականության, զարգացման և հաղթահարման ժամանակակից պատկերացումները։ Քննարկվում են խաղամոլության ոչ դեղորայքային, հոգեթերապևտիկ հաղթահարման մեթոդները։ Ներկայացված են խաղամոլության գնահատման գործիքներ և հաղթահարման 6 շաբաթյա  ծրագիր։  Գիրքը նախատեսված է ինչպես սեփական խնդիրը ինքնուրույն և/կամ մասնագետի օգնությամբ հաղթահարել ցանկացողների, այնպես էլ իրենց այցելուներին օգնել ցանկացող հոգեկան առողջության և հարակից ոլորտների մասնագետների (հոգեբանների, հոգեթերապևտների, հոգեբույժների, նյարդաբանների, սոցիալական աշխատողների, հատուկ մանկավարժների և այլոց) համար։

This review summarizes studies of pathological gambling and personality. Meta-analyses were conducted on 44 studies that reported personality traits of pathological gamblers (N = 2134) and nonpathological gambling control groups (N = 5321). Effect size estimates were calculated for 128 comparisons and organized according to the factors associated with two integrative accounts of personality. Four of the meta-analyses examined traits that have previously been found to load on the Urgency, Premeditation, Perseverance, and Sensation Seeking aspects of impulsivity . Substantial effects were found for traits associated with Negative Urgency (Cohen's d = .99) and Low Premeditation (d = .84), but not for Low Perseverance or Sensation Seeking. A second set of meta-analyses examined broad domains of personality that have previously been found to load on Negative Affect, Positive Affect, Disagreeable Disinhibition, and Unconscientious Disinhibition . Substantial effects were found for Unconscientious Disinhibition (d = .79), Negative Affect (d = .50), and Disagreeable Disinhibition (d = .50), but not Positive Affect. It was concluded that these individual personality characteristics may be important in the etiology of pathological gambling. The personality profile implicated in the etiology of pathological gambling is similar to that found in a recent meta-analysis of substance use disorders . These results suggest that pathological gambling may be part of a broad cluster of externalizing psychopathology, and also call into question the current classification of pathological gambling as an Impulse Control Disorder in the DSM-IV.

Games of chance are developed in their physical consumer-ready form on the basis of mathematical models, which stand as the premises of their existence and represent their physical processes. There is a prevalence of statistical and probabilistic models in the interest of all parties involved in the study of gambling – researchers, game producers and operators, and players – while functional models are of interest more to math-inclined players than problem-gambling researchers. In this paper I present a structural analysis of the knowledge attached to mathematical models of games of chance and the act of modeling, arguing that such knowledge holds potential in the prevention and cognitive treatment of excessive gambling, and I propose further research in this direction.

This study was undertaken through a review of the British and international research evidence on the social impacts of gambling and casinos. It also analysed fresh data from the 1999 Prevalence Survey of gambling in Great Britain to investigate patterns of gambling behaviour in Scotland.

A large, integrated survey data set provided by the Ontario Problem Gambling Centre was used to investigate psychometric properties of the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI). This nine-item self-report instrument was designed to measure a single, problem gambling construct. Unlike its nearest competitor-the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS)-the PGSI was designed specifically for use with a general population rather than in a clinical context. The present analyses demonstrated that the PGSI does assess a single, underlying, factor, but that this is complicated by different, multiple factor structures for respondents with differing levels of problem gambling severity. The PGSI also demonstrated small to moderate correlations with measures of gambling frequency and faulty cognitions. Overall, the PGSI presents a viable alternative to the SOGS for assessing degrees of problem gambling severity in a non-clinical context.

In this article, online sports betting is explored with the objective of critically examining the potential impact on problem gambling of the emerging product features and advertising techniques used to market it. First, the extent of the issue is assessed by reviewing the sports betting prevalence rates and its association with gambling disorders, acknowledging the methodological difficulties of an unambiguous identification of what exactly constitutes sports-related gambling today. Second, the main changes in the marketization of online betting products are outlined, with specific focus on the new situational and structural characteristics that such products present along with the convergence of online betting with other adjacent products. Third, some of the most prevalent advertising master narratives employed by the betting industry are introduced, and the implications for problem gamblers and minors are discussed.

Environmental stimuli in the form of marketing inducements to gamble money on sports have increased in recent years. The purpose of the present paper is to tackle the extended definition of the gamblification of sport using sponsorship and partnership deals of gambling, forex trading, and fantasy gaming as a proxy for assessing its environmental impact. Using data about sponsorship deals from English Football Premier League, the paper builds on the evidence of English football's gamblification process to discuss the impact that the volume, penetration, and marketing strategies of sports betting might have on public health and well-being. Findings demonstrate that gambling marketing has become firmly embedded in the financial practices of many Premiership football clubs. It is argued that such associations are not trivial, and that the symbolic linkage of sport and newer gambling forms can become an issue of public health, especially affecting vulnerable groups such as minors and problem gamblers. The present study is the first to explore in-depth the relationship and potential consequences and psychosocial impacts of sports-related marketing, particularly in relation to football.

One of the most significant changes to the gambling environment in the past 15 years has been the increased availability of Internet gambling Internet, including mobile, gambling is the fastest growing mode of gambling and is changing the way that gamblers engage with this activity. Due to the high level of accessibility, immersive interface, and ease at which money can be spent, concerns have been expressed that Internet gambling may increase rates of disordered gambling. The current paper aimed to provide an overview of the research to date as well as highlight new and interesting findings relevant to Internet gambling addiction. A comprehensive review was conducted of existing literature to provide an overview of significant trends and developments in research that relates to disordered Internet gambling. This paper presents research to inform a greater understanding of adult participation in Internet gambling, features of this interface that may impact problem severity, the relationship between Internet gambling and related problems, as well as considering the role of the wider spectrum of gambling behaviour and relevant individual factors that moderate this relationship.

The expansion of simulated ‘free-to-play’ gambling-themed activities on social media sites such as Facebook is a topic of growing research interest, with some conjecture that these activities may enable, or otherwise be associated with, gambling and problem gambling. This paper describes findings from an in-depth qualitative study which aimed to explore the interrelationships between social casino games, gambling, and problem gambling. Social casino games are typically promoted via social media sites (e.g., Facebook) and involve structurally realistic simulated forms of gambling (e.g., poker, slot machines). Ten adult users of social casino games were asked to describe: (1) their history of experiences with these activities, (2) their exposure to promotions relating to social casino games, and, (3) the perceived influence of these activities on their gambling behaviour. Respondents reported frequent exposure to promotions for social casino games and that being connected to a social network of players was a significant factor in determining their engagement in these activities. However, involvement in social casino games did not appear to affect the likelihood of gambling or the risk of problem gambling. Some problem gamblers did report, however, that these games could sometimes trigger a desire to engage in gambling. Interestingly, social casino games were commonly perceived as a safe activity that may act as a substitution for gambling. Further empirical research should investigate this possibility in more detail.

Numerous responsible gambling (RG) strategies are promoted to assist consumers to “gamble responsibly”. However, consumer adoption of RG strategies, how this varies by gambler risk group, and whether usage is associated with non-problematic gambling are largely unknown. This study aimed to 1) determine how use of RG-related strategies differs amongst regular gamblers by gambler risk group; and 2) identify RG-related strategies whose usage predicts non-problem/low risk gambling. Regular Australian gamblers on high-risk products (N = 860), recruited through gambling venues and an online wagering operator, were surveyed about their use of RG strategies promoted on the website of their jurisdiction’s main RG agency. Knowledge of RG strategies was reasonably high amongst all gambler risk groups, but lower-risk groups were more likely to use RG strategies. A logistic regression correctly predicted 82.1% of lower-risk gamblers and 77.2% of higher-risk gamblers. Predictors of lower-risk gambling included: greater confidence in their understanding of RG; endorsement of lower gambling expenditure and frequency limits; fewer erroneous gambling beliefs; being less likely to gamble to win money, challenge their skills/beat the odds, or forget about worries and stresses; and being more likely to gamble for pleasure/entertainment. Lower-risk gamblers were more likely to set a money limit in advance of gambling and to balance their gambling with other activities. These findings contribute to understanding which strategies are favoured by different risk groups, and which are associated with safer levels of gambling. They can guide consumer information aimed at enhancing RG consumption and future research on RG consumption.

The aims of this qualitative study were to explore Tongan male perceptions and experiences of gambling and to identify how their attitudes to gambling and problem-gambling behaviours were learnt, including and determining the importance of intergenerational transfer. The research design was interpretivist/ constructivist and phenomenological through the lens of a Tongan worldview. To capture the nature of intergenerational transfer, participants comprised of two groups – elders who had been born in Tonga and migrated to New Zealand, and New Zealand-born Tongan youth. Recruitment of participants was through snowball sampling from churches, kava-drinking circles and other community spaces. A total of 28 elders and 18 youth participated through focus group talanoa and individual talanoa. These were in Tongan or English as appropriate, and audio-recorded and transcribed by me. This study employed the descriptive thematic analysis drawing on components of Interpretative Phenomenological Approach.
The first and overarching findings confirmed that there is no Tongan term for gambling nor, for problem gambling. At the same time, both elders and youth gave many instances of positive and negative outcomes and also examples of what would be classified as gambling through ‘activities’ and ‘acts’. Notably, among the participants, there were five Mātu’a and two To’utupu who did not engage in gambling activities due to gambling being a ‘waste of money’ and because of the problem-gambling behaviours of family members. The Mātu’a associated gambling with social and communal purposes, such as recreation and socialising together, with elements of competition and pride in winning also playing a large role here. Their initial gambling participation was through card games with their parents and other family members in Tonga. Over time, new forms evolved which included the exchange of cash and goods for example. However, in the early days, the purpose of these activities was mainly directed to supporting community initiatives, such as churches and village fundraisers. On migration to New Zealand, their earlier introduction to gambling was amplified through horse race betting at the TAB, mainly as a social occasion with other Tongans. For the To’utupu, gambling behaviours were learnt at home through social activities such as card games before being increased in schools, in workplaces, and in the online and technology space. Almost all To’utupu commented on their initial gambling activity through card games at home with family members. The majority of the To’utupu associated gambling with the need to win money as a quick fix and with being an easy way to win money. Gambling was also associated with status enhancement to maintain social status in their family and wider society. This study coins a new concept within the gambling and problem-gambling literature that I have called ‘cultural gambling’, which leads to the identification of status enhancement as a reason why Pacific peoples may be more at risk of developing problem-gambling behaviours. This is amplified by Tonga’s monarchical, hierarchical and familial systems. The majority of the participants were not aware of any policy document or problem-gambling preventative programmes. Preventative programmes and strategies are identified, which could help to minimise gambling harm amongst Tongans and other Pacific communities. Challenges and opportunities for future research and policy design are also included

The Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) is a screening instrument frequently used to identify risk and problem gambling. Even though the PGSI has good psychometric properties, it still produces a large proportion of mis-classifications. Aims: To explore possible reasons for mis-classifications in problem gambling level by analysing previously classified moderate-risk gamblers' answers to the PGSI items, in relation to their own current and past gambling behaviours. Methods: Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 19 participants reporting no negative consequences from gambling. They were asked the PGSI questions within an eight-year time frame (2008 to 2016). Ambiguous answers to PGSI items were subject to content analysis. Results: Several answers to the PGSI items contained ambiguities and misinterpretations, making it difficult to assess to what extent their answers actually indicated any problematic gambling over time. The item about feelings of guilt generated accounts rather reflecting self-recrimination over wasting money or regretting gambling as a meaningless or immoral activity. The item concerning critique involved mild interpretations such as being ridiculed for buying lottery tickets or getting comments for being boring. Similar accounts were given by the participants irrespective of initial endorsement of the items. Other possible reasons for misclassifications were related to recall bias,
language difficulties, selective memory, and a tendency to answer one part of the question without taking the whole question into account. Conclusions: Answers to the PGSI can contain a variety of meanings based on the respondents’ subjective interpretations. Reports of lower levels of harm in the population should thus be interpreted with caution. In clinical settings it is important to combine use of screening instruments with interviews, to be able to better understand gamblers’
perceptions of the gambling behaviour and its negative consequences.

In 2005 the Northern Territory of Australia conducted its first population-based gambling and problem-gambling prevalence survey, administering both the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) and the Canadian Problem Gambling Index (CPGI) to the same sample of respondents. Using a sub-sample of regular gamblers (n=361), the respective problem gambling screens were subject to psychometric testing that included dimensionality, internal consistency, external validity, classification validity and screen order effects. Analyses were conducted for all regular gamblers stratified by gender. The CPGI produced a significantly lower prevalence estimate than the SOGS as well as lower rates of false-positives as measured against external criteria. Consistent with other studies, dimensionality analysis revealed a multi-dimensional factor structure for the SOGS and a single dimension for the CPGI. The CPGI displayed stronger correlations with external criteria and stronger internal consistency than th...

Gambling behavior is pervasive, apparently growing, and of methodological and substantive interest to economists. We examine the manner in which the population prevalence of disordered gambling has been estimated. General population surveys have deepened our knowledge of the population prevalence of gambling disorders, as well as the manner in which gambling disorder is associated with other mental health problems. However, we identify a fundamental bias in the manner in which these surveys have been used to draw inferences about the general population prevalence of gambling problems, due to a behavioral response to seemingly innocuous " trigger, " " gateway " or " diagnostic stem " questions in the design of surveys. Formal modeling of the latent sample selection behavior generated by these trigger questions leads to dramatically different inferences about population prevalence and comorbidities with other psychiatric disorders. The population prevalence of problem or pathological gambling in the United States is inferred to be 7.7% rather than 1.3% when this behavioral response is ignored. Comorbidities are inferred to be much smaller than the received wisdom, particularly when considering the marginal association with other mental health problems rather than the total association. The issues identified here apply, in principle, to every psychiatric disorder covered by these surveys, and not just gambling disorder. We discuss ways in which these behavioral biases can be mitigated in future surveys. †

Research shows that culture influences gambling behaviours. While there is anecdotal evidence about the pervasiveness of gambling and the seriousness of problems in Asian communities in the US, there is little information in the academic literature on acculturation and its effect on gambling behaviours in Asian populations. This study found that gambling prevalence in the Asian population is much lower, but the rate of problem gambling is higher than or equal to that in the general population of the US. Higher gambling availability in the US, combined with a gambling-permissive Asian culture, seems to contribute to an increase in gambling participation and problem gambling in Asians living in western countries. The results highlight the importance of investigating acculturation in gambling behaviours among diverse Asian American ethnic groups. In addition, measures should be developed that take into account gambling culture in order to design culturally responsive treatment/prevention programs for Asian Americans.

This study helps to address a deficiency of gender-specific research into problem gambling. It focuses on the gambling behaviors, family and personal histories and comorbid psychological disorders of 365 female gamblers from across Ontario, Canada, who responded to a mail-in survey. Specifically, this study looks at rates of depression and anxiety, concurrent struggles with other behaviors (such as alcohol and drug use, disordered eating, overspending and criminal activity) and abuse history reported by female gamblers. The reported rates are considerably higher than for the general female population. The findings of this study agree with previous research. They suggest that prevention strategies and treatment practices for female problem gamblers should take into account women’s mental health, addiction and trauma history as contributing factors in the development of problematic gambling.

We report data collected in a representative sample of 17-year-old Norwegians to investigate prevalence rates of non-problem, risk, and problem gambling, as measured by the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI). In addition, we explored the importance of demographic, personality, motivational, social, and health variables explaining variance in adolescent gambling. Prevalence rates of risk and problem gambling were low but similar to those found in previous studies outside of Norway using the PGSI in adolescent samples. With regard to the relative importance of the various covariates, we found that motivational variables (future gambling intentions, attitudes toward gambling, and gambling-related knowledge) distinguished best between those who did not gamble, non-problem gamblers, and risk and problem gamblers. Furthermore, social variables were important covariates of adolescent gambling; significant associations were found for family and friends&#39; approval of gambling, parenta...