scholarly journals Experiences of responsible gambling tools among non-problem gamblers: A survey of active customers of an online gambling platform

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 100161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ekaterina Ivanova ◽  
Jonas Rafi ◽  
Philip Lindner ◽  
Per Carlbring
Author(s):  
Wynford Compton ◽  
Dino M. Minoli ◽  
Mark M. H. Goode

This chapter explores the application of responsible gambling legislation and controls in online poker software and to explore if these have an impact on changing consumer gambling behaviour. This study is needed for three reasons, the infancy of the industries completed research, the continued growth of the online gambling market and the risks to consumers and society of higher levels of problem and pathological gambling disorders. Using the current literature to identify the behaviours of problem and pathological gamblers and the features that the online poker operators have in their software, the consumer survey was created. The analysis showed that online poker consumers have a high rate of identified problem gambling behaviours compared to the publicised research of the gambling charities and that having accessed the responsible gambling information the consumers also had a high success rate at modifying them positively. There is also evidence that having the material available to the consumer leads to a higher level of social awareness when looking to the poker operators.


Author(s):  
Maria Anna Donati ◽  
Silvia Cabrini ◽  
Daniela Capitanucci ◽  
Caterina Primi ◽  
Roberta Smaniotto ◽  
...  

The COVID-19 pandemic, with the consequent lockdown of about 3 months, can be viewed as an experimental model to observe the impact of the depletion of environmental factors that stimulate gambling, particularly electronic gambling machines (EGMs) that were set to zero. The effects of some structural characteristics of gambling activities that increase gambling behavior were studied among disordered gamblers in treatment in this unique scenario. In fact, studies investigating the effects of the lockdown on problem gamblers (PGs) under treatment are missing. The aims of this study were to analyze patients’ gambling behavior and craving during the lockdown and to conduct a comparison between gambling disorder (GD) symptoms at the beginning of the treatment and during lockdown. The study was conducted in Italy, the European country with the largest gambling market and the first to be affected by the virus. Data were collected through a semi-structured telephone interview conducted by healthcare professionals. Participants were 135 PGs under treatment (109 males, mean age = 50.07). Results showed that most PGs achieved a significant improvement in their quality of life, with less gambling behavior, GD symptoms, and lower craving. No shift toward online gambling and very limited shift towards other potential addictive and excessive behaviors occurred. The longer the treatment, the more monitoring is present and the better the results in terms of symptoms reduction. Individual and environmental characteristics during the lockdown favored the reduction in symptoms. Consideration for prevention and treatment are discussed.


2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 111-149
Author(s):  
David Miers

This paper has three main purposes. The first sets the controls over the supply and the game parameters of gaming machines within the broader regulatory environment governing commercial gambling in Great Britain. This account notes the tensions that existed prior to the regime introduced by the Gambling Act 2005, but whose legacy continues to present both regulatory and commercial difficulties. Its second purpose is to indicate how these controls have shaped the gaming machine market and the debate around the ways in which the government could realise its policy of striking a balance between the interests of both operators and players. This paper does not address the regulation of online gambling; that is, ‘remote gambling’ by means of ‘remote communication’ (s. 4 of the Gambling Act 2005). Its third purpose is to provide a critical account of the regulatory regime governing the availability of gaming machines as the background against which the Responsible Gambling Trust’s other commissioned contextual papers may be read.The text falls into four sections:An overview of the regulation of machines under the Gaming Act 1968 and of the reasons underlying the structure of the new regimeA summary of the overall regulatory structure of the 2005 ActA descriptive account of the 2005 Act’s regulation of machinespreliminarycommon core definitional features of a ‘gaming machine’the categories of gaming machinesgaming machine licences and permitsconditions and standards for their use4.Some concluding comments on how these arrangements have shaped both the commercial availability of gaming machines and the debate about how the interests of operators and of players can be accommodated


2020 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
Author(s):  
George Drosatos ◽  
Emily Arden-Close ◽  
Elvira Bolat ◽  
Raian Ali

Online gambling, as opposed to land-based gambling and other mediums of problematic and addictive behaviour such as alcohol and tobacco consumption, offers unprecedented opportunities for monitoring and understanding users’ behaviour in real-time. It also provides the ability to adapt persuasive messages and interactions that would fit the gamblers usage and personal context. These features open a new avenue for research on the monitoring and interactive utilization of gambling behavioural data. In this paper, we explore the range of data and modalities of interaction which can facilitate richer interactive persuasive interventions, and offer additional support to limit setting, with the ultimate aim of aiding gamblers, who gamble at low to moderate levels, to stay in control of their gambling experience. The exploration is based on our previous research on online addiction and interviews with experts (ne = 13) from different relevant multidisciplinary backgrounds and different points of view. We also interviewed gamblers (ng = 6) about their perception of the utilization of their data for aiding more conscious gambling. Directed at multiple stakeholders, including the gambling software providers, compliance and responsible gambling personnel, as well as policymakers, this paper aims to provide a basis and a reference point for empowering future responsible gambling socio-technical tools through the capture and utilization of relevant online gambling behavioural data.RésuméLe jeu en ligne, contrairement aux formes de jeu hors ligne et à d’autres types de comportements problématiques et de dépendance comme la consommation d’alcool et de tabac, offre des possibilités sans précédent de surveillance et de compréhension du comportement des utilisateurs en temps réel, ainsi que la capacité d’adapter des messages persuasifs et des interactions adaptées à l’utilisation des joueurs et au contexte personnel. Cela ouvre une nouvelle voie pour la recherche sur la surveillance et l’utilisation interactive des données comportementales relatives au jeu. Dans cet article, nous explorons à cette fin la gamme de données et les modalités d’interaction qui peuvent faciliter des interventions persuasives interactives plus riches et permettre un soutien accrû pour l’établissement de limites, dans le but ultime d’aider les joueurs de niveaux faibles à modérés à demeurer en contrôle de leur expérience de jeu. L’exploration est basée sur nos recherches antérieures sur la dépendance en ligne et sur des entretiens avec des experts (ne = 13) issus de différents contextes multidisciplinaires pertinents et ayant différents points de vue. Nous avons également interrogé des joueurs (ng = 6) à propos de leur perception de l’utilisation de leurs données pour contribuer à un jeu plus conscient. Ce document vise à fournir une base et un point de référence pour l’autonomisation de futurs outils socio-techniques du jeu responsable grâce à la saisie et l’utilisation de données pertinentes sur les comportements de jeu en ligne, et il est destiné à de multiples parties prenantes, notamment des fournisseurs de logiciels de jeu, du personnel de conformité et de jeu responsable ainsi que des décideurs.


2019 ◽  
pp. 169-178
Author(s):  
Arnie Wexler ◽  
Sheila Wexler

The authors describe their experience with gambling disorder and those who suffer with this condition. Their primary objective is to describe responsible gambling activities and programs from the perspective of a recovering gambler, which differs from that of academics, scientists, clinicians, and policymakers. Gambling disorder is a progressive disease, much like addiction to alcohol or drugs. The authors present guidelines for dealing with problem gamblers and developing and implementing a responsible gambling program. The need for training casino staff and the pitfalls of self-exclusion programs are discussed. The authors emphasize the importance of taking into account the viewpoint of recovering gamblers when setting up responsible gambling programs.


2020 ◽  
Vol Volume 13 ◽  
pp. 681-691
Author(s):  
Anders Håkansson ◽  
Carolina Widinghoff

Author(s):  
Robert Ladouceur ◽  
Serge Sévigny

Video lotteries seem to be one of the most profitable games for the gambling industry and are reported as the game of choice for many problem gamblers. Their popularity or, in some cases, their addictiveness, might be related to their structural characteristics: reinforcement schedule, lights, appearance, sound, and speed. We investigated the effects of video lottery game speed on concentration, motivation to play, loss of control, and number of games played. Forty-three participants were randomly assigned to either a high-speed (5 seconds) or a low-speed (15 seconds) condition. Results: gamblers in the high-speed condition played more games and underestimated the number of games played more than did participants in the low-speed condition. However, speed did not influence concentration, motivation, or loss of control over time or money. Conclusion: speed has a limited impact on occasional video lottery gamblers. The theoretical and practical implications of speed are discussed in the context of responsible gambling policies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Lindner ◽  
Jonas Ramnerö ◽  
Ekaterina Ivanova ◽  
Per Carlbring

Introduction: Online gambling, popular among both problem and recreational gamblers, simultaneously entails both heightened addiction risks as well as unique opportunities for prevention and intervention. There is a need to bridge the growing literature on learning and extinction mechanisms of gambling behavior, with account tracking studies using real-life gambling data. In this study, we describe the development and validation of the Frescati Online Research Casino (FORC): a simulated online casino where games, visual themes, outcome sizes, probabilities, and other variables of interest can be experimentally manipulated to conduct behavioral analytic studies and evaluate the efficacy of responsible gambling tools.Methods: FORC features an initial survey for self-reporting of gambling and gambling problems, along with several games resembling regular real-life casino games, designed to allow Pavlovian and instrumental learning. FORC was developed with maximum flexibility in mind, allowing detailed experiment specification by setting parameters using an online interface, including the display of messages. To allow convenient and rapid data collection from diverse samples, FORC is independently hosted yet integrated with the popular crowdsourcing platform Amazon Mechanical Turk through a reimbursement key mechanism. To validate the survey data quality and game mechanics of FORC, n = 101 participants were recruited, who answered an questionnaire on gambling habits and problems, then played both slot machine and card-draw type games. Questionnaire and trial-by-trial behavioral data were analyzed using standard psychometric tests, and outcome distribution modeling.Results: The expected associations among variables in the introductory questionnaire were found along with good psychometric properties, suggestive of good quality data. Only 6% of participants provided seemingly poor behavioral data. Game mechanics worked as intended: gambling outcomes showed the expected pattern of random sampling with replacement and were normally distributed around the set percentages, while balances developed according to the set return to player rate.Conclusions: FORC appears to be a valid paradigm for simulating online gambling and for collecting survey and behavioral data, offering a valuable compromise between stringent experimental paradigms with lower external validity, and real-world gambling account tracking data with lower internal validity.


Author(s):  
Maris Catania ◽  
Mark D. Griffiths

AbstractThe emergence of online gambling has raised concerns about potential gambling-related harm, and various measures have been implemented in order to minimise harm such as identifying and/or predicting potential markers of harm. The present study explored how the nine DSM-5 criteria for gambling disorder can be operationalised in terms of actual online gambling behaviour using account-based gambling tracking data. The authors were given access to an anonymised sample of 982 gamblers registered with an online gambling operator. The data collected for these gamblers consisted of their first three months’ gambling activity. The data points included customer service contacts, number of hours spent gambling, number of active days, deposit amounts and frequency, the number of times a responsible gambling tool (such as deposit limit) were removed by the gamblers themselves, number of cancelled withdrawals, number of third-party requests, number of registered credit cards, and frequency of requesting bonuses through customer service (i.e., the number of instances of ‘bonus begging’). Using these metrics, most of the DSM-5 criteria for gambling disorder can be operationalized (at least to some extent) using actual transaction data. These metrics were then applied to a sample of online gamblers, and through cluster analysis four types of online gambler based on these metrics (non-problem gamblers, at-risk gamblers, financially vulnerable gamblers, and emotionally vulnerable gamblers) were identified. The present study is the first to examine the application of the DSM-5 criteria of gambling disorder to actual gambling behaviour using online gambling transaction data and suggests ways that gambling operators could identify problem gamblers online without the need for self-report diagnostic screening instruments.


2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 91-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Forsström ◽  
Jenny Cisneros Örnberg

The Swedish gambling market faces a major change in legislation that will allow foreign-based companies to apply for a gambling licence in Sweden. A key element in the new legislation are consumer protection measures. The Swedish gambling market is currently divided between licensed companies and non-Swedish-based companies providing online gambling services without a licence in Sweden. How these companies view their responsibility for preventing gambling-related harm and how prepared they are for the new regulations are important questions regarding the new Swedish gambling market. Aims: To compare and analyse the views and practices on problem gambling and responsible gambling (RG) measures among licensed and unlicensed gambling companies on the Swedish market. Design/Methods/Data: Eleven semi-structured interviews were carried out with responsible gambling managers who are members of either of the two Swedish industry associations. Content analysis was used to analyse the interviews. Results: Non-licensed companies have implemented behaviour tracking and monitoring of gamblers in a more extensive way than licensed companies. Both the licensed and the unlicensed companies conceptualise problem gambling in a similar manner and rely on informed choice in preventing gamblers from developing problems, seemingly arguing that offering responsible gambling measures on their website is enough. Conclusions: There are several similarities in how the two types of companies define problem gambling and responsible gambling. Both groups lack a critical perspective when discussing RG. There is a need for companies not only to provide RG measures, but to take an active role in preventing harm among gamblers. Future research should focus on exploring how companies work with RG after the legislative change.


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