The impact of gambling advertising: Problem gamblers report stronger impacts on involvement, knowledge, and awareness than recreational gamblers.

Although there is a general lack of empirical evidence that advertising influences gambling participation, the regulation of gambling advertising is hotly debated among academic researchers, treatment specialists, lobby groups, regulators, and policy makers. This study contributes to the ongoing debate by investigating perceived impacts of gambling advertising in a sample of gamblers drawn from the general population in Norway (n = 6,034). Three dimensions of advertising impacts were identified, representing perceived impacts on (a) gambling-related attitudes, interest, and behavior (‘Involvement’), (b) knowledge about gambling options and providers (‘Knowledge’), and (c) the degree to which people are aware of gambling advertising (‘Awareness’). Overall, impacts were strongest for the ‘Knowledge’ dimension, and, for all three dimensions, the impact increased with level of advertising exposure. Those identified as problem gamblers in the sample (n = 57) reported advertising impacts concerning ‘Involvement’ more than recreational gamblers, and this finding was not attributable to differences in advertising exposure. Additionally, younger gamblers reported stronger impacts on ‘Involvement’ and ‘Knowledge’ but were less likely to agree that they were aware of gambling advertising than older gamblers. Male gamblers were more likely than female gamblers to report stronger impacts on both ‘Involvement’ and ‘Knowledge’. These findings are discussed with regard to existing research on gambling advertising as well as their implications for future research and policy-making

Gambling behavior in alcohol-serving and non-alcohol-serving-venues: a study of electronic gaming machine players using account records

Aim: Contextual factors, such as venue characteristics appear to influence gambling behavior. However, few studies have compared the relationship between gambling behavior in alcohol-serving venues (ASVs) and non-alcohol serving venues (NASVs). The aim of the study was to examine individual gambling behavior in ASVs and NASVs. Method: A repeated-measures design was used to examine individual gambling behavior in ASVs and NASVs covering a month. The sample comprised 1,452 observations of 726 individuals (25.2% female). A quantile regression model was conducted to examine individual differences in gambling behavior (number of days, sessions, bets made, stake and time spent, net balance, and average bet size) across ASVs and NASVs. Analyses were broken down by gambler category (those that reached legal mandatory spending limits and those that did not) as well as on time frame (overall gambling behavior and average in-session gambling behavior). Results: Individuals gambled regularly in NASVs and occasionally in ASVs. Compared to NASVs, in-session gambling behavior was more variable in ASVs. In-session analysis showed that non-limit reaching gamblers staked less money in ASVs than in NASVs but lost more money in ASVs than in NASVs. Limit reaching gamblers showed no differences in gambling behavior across venues. Conclusion: The findings show that in-session gambling behavior is more variable in ASVs compared to NASVs regardless of gambling category. Non-limit reaching gamblers may be more sensitive to contextual factors than limit reaching gamblers and appear to be more willing to take more risk in ASVs compared to NASVs. The contextual implications are discussed

Unemployment as a risk factor for gambling disorder: a longitudinal study based on national registry data

Background and aims Unemployment rates are elevated among individuals with disordered gambling, yet the directionality of the relationship remains unclear. The present study investigated paid and unpaid unemployment as risk factors for future gambling disorder (GD). Methods The study employed a case-control design, including all adult Norwegians receiving a GD diagnosis within specialist health services from January 2008 to December 2018 (n = 5,131). These individuals were compared with age- and sex-matched controls from the general population (n = 30,164), as well as controls with somatic and psychiatric diagnoses (n = 30,476). Results Logistic regressions showed that those in the highest quartile of unpaid unemployment days had more than double the odds (odds ratio [OR] 2.23 (95% CI [1.96, 2.52]) of developing GD compared to those with no unpaid unemployment days. Similarly, higher levels of paid unemployment were also found to increase the odds for GD, with those in the highest quartile having an OR of 1.86 (95% CI [1.50, 2.28]) compared to those with no paid unemployment days. Moreover, an interaction analysis indicated that the association between paid unemployment days and GD was significantly stronger among men compared to women. Conclusions The present study suggests that both paid and unpaid unemployment constitute risk factors for GD. Programs aiming at obtaining and sustaining work have been found to improve health and future studies should examine if the risk for GD can be similarly mitigated

Age and gender differences in gambling intensity in a Norwegian population of electronic gaming machine players

Participation in various types of gambling is associated with age and gender. Younger men tend to be drawn toward online gambling whereas women and older individuals tend to engage more in land-based gambling such as electronic gaming machines (EGMs). The present study examined how annual trends in theoretical loss, a robust measure of risk propensity/gambling intensity, varied according to age groups and gender among an EGM-population in Norway (N = 195,318, 26.5% women, age range 18 to 103 years [M = 40.13, SD = 16.29]). Quantile regression on the 25th percentile, median, and 90th percentile theoretical loss showed that higher theoretical loss at these quantiles were associated with older age. At the 90th percentile: Individuals aged 60–69 years had highest theoretical loss at 15,343 NOK (1,784 USD). Compared to men, women had higher 90th percentile theoretical loss (1,658 NOK≈193 USD). Interaction analyses showed that the positive association between age and theoretical loss was stronger for men compared to women. Gambling expenditure is positively associated with disordered gambling and the findings suggests that older individuals and women represent more vulnerable groups among the EGM population

Ethnicity as a risk factor for gambling disorder: a large-scale study linking data from the Norwegian patient registry with the Norwegian social insurance database

Background: The study investigated ethnicity as a risk factor for gambling disorder (GD), controlling for demographics, citizenship, and years of residency in Norway. Methods: The sample comprised 65,771 individuals from a national patient registry (n = 35,607, age range 18–88 years) and a national social insurance database in Norway (n = 30,164, age rage 18–98 years). The data covered the period from 2008 to 2018. Results: The results showed that when controlling for age and sex, ethnic minorities were overall less likely than those born in Norway to be diagnosed with GD (odds ratio [OR] ranging from 0.293 to 0.698). After controlling for citizenship and years of residency in Norway, the results were reversed and indicated that ethnic minorities were overall more likely to be diagnosed with GD (OR ranging from 1.179 to 3.208). Conclusion: The results suggest that citizenship and years of residency are important variables to account for when assessing the relationship between ethnicity and being diagnosed with GD. Our results may be explained by people from ethnic minority groups being more likely to experience gambling problems but less likely to seek contact with healthcare services for gambling problems

Marital status and gambling disorder: a longitudinal study based on national registry data

Background: Marital status is a robust correlate of disordered gambling, but few studies have examined the direction of this association. Methods: The present study used a case–control design by including all adults receiving their first gambling disorder (GD) diagnosis between January 2008 to December 2018 (Norwegian Patient Registry, n = 5,121) and compared them against age and gender matched individuals with other somatic/psychiatric illnesses (Norwegian Patient Registry, n = 27,826) and a random sample from the general population (FD-Trygd database, n = 26,695). The study examined marital status before GD, getting divorced as a risk factor for future GD, and becoming married as a protective factor of future GD. Results: The findings indicated an 8–9 percentage points higher prevalence of unmarried people and about a 5 percentage points higher prevalence of separation/divorce among those that subsequently experienced GD compared to controls. Logistic regressions showed that transition through divorce was associated with higher odds of future GD compared to illness controls (odds ratio [OR] = 2.45, 95% CI [2.06, 2.92]) and the general population (OR = 2.41 [2.02, 2.87]). Logistic regressions also showed that transition through marriage was associated with lower odds of future GD compared to illness controls (OR = 0.62, CI [0.55, 0.70]) and the general population (OR = 0.57, CI [0.50, 0.64]). Conclusions: Social bonds have previously been shown to impact physical and mental health, and the findings of the study emphasize the importance of considering social network history and previous relationship dissolution among individuals with GD

Prevalence and predictors of video game addiction: a study based on a national representative sample of gamers

Video gaming has become a popular leisure activity in many parts of the world, and an increasing number of empirical studies examine the small minority that appears to develop problems as a result of excessive gaming. This study investigated prevalence rates and predictors of video game addiction in a sample of gamers, randomly selected from the National Population Registry of Norway (N =3389). Results showed there were 1.4 % addicted gamers, 7.3 % problem gamers, 3.9 % engaged gamers, and 87.4 % normal gamers. Gender (being male) and age group (being young) were positively associated with addicted-, problem-, and engaged gamers. Place of birth (Africa, Asia, South- and Middle America) were positively associated with addicted- and problem gamers. Video game addiction was negatively associated with conscientiousness and positively associated with neuroticism. Poor psychosomatic health was positively associated with problem- and engaged gaming. These factors provide insight into the field of video game addiction, and may help to provide guidance as to how individuals that are at risk of becoming addicted gamers can be identified

Effect of within-session breaks in play on responsible gambling behaviour during sustained monetary losses

Rapid, continuous gambling formats are associated with higher risks for gambling-related harm in terms of excessive monetary and time expenditure. The current study investigated the effect on gambling response latency and persistence, of a new form of within-game intervention that required players to actively engage in response inhibition via monitoring for stop signals. Seventy-four experienced electronic gaming machine gamblers, with a mean age of 35.28 years, were recruited to participate in a rapid, continuous gambling task where real money could be won and lost. Participants were randomly allocated to either the control condition where no intervention was presented, or either a condition with a passive three minute break in play or a condition with a three minute intervention that required participants to engage in response inhibition. Although there was no main effect for experimental condition on gambling persistence, both interventions were effective in elevating response latency during a period of sustained losses. It was concluded that within-game interventions that create an enforced break in play are effective in increasing response latency between bets during periods of sustained losses. Furthermore, within-game interventions that require active involvement appear to be more effective in increasing response latency than standard, passive breaks in play

The problematic use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in adolescents by the cross sectional JOITIC study

Background: The emerging field of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has brought about new interaction styles. Its excessive use may lead to addictive behaviours. The objective is to determine the prevalence of the problematic use of ICT such as Internet, mobile phones and video games, among adolescents enrolled in mandatory Secondary Education (ESO in Spanish) and to examine associated factors. Methods: Cross sectional, multi-centric descriptive study. Population: 5538 students enrolled in years one to four of ESO at 28 schools in the Vallès Occidental region (Barcelona, Spain). Data collection: self-administered socio-demographic and ICT access questionnaire, and validated questionnaires on experiences related to the use of the Internet, mobile phones and video games (CERI, CERM, CERV). Results: Questionnaires were collected from 5,538 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 20 (77.3 % of the total response), 48.6 % were females. Problematic use of the Internet was observed in 13.6 % of the surveyed individuals; problematic use of mobile phones in 2.4 % and problematic use in video games in 6.2 %. Problematic Internet use was associated with female students, tobacco consumption, a background of binge drinking, the use of cannabis or other drugs, poor academic performance, poor family relationships and an intensive use of the computer. Factors associated with the problematic use of mobile phones were the consumption of other drugs and an intensive use of these devices. Frequent problems with video game use have been associated with male students, the consumption of other drugs, poor academic performance, poor family relationships and an intensive use of these games. Conclusions: This study offers information on the prevalence of addictive behaviours of the Internet, mobile phones and video game use. The problematic use of these ICT devices has been related to the consumption of drugs, poor academic performance and poor family relationships. This intensive use may constitute a risk marker for ICT addictio

Problematic Facebook use and problematic video gaming as mediators of relationship between impulsivity and life satisfaction among female and male gamers

Over the past few decades, many new technologies have emerged, such as portable computers, the internet and smartphones, which have contributed to improving the lives of individuals. While the benefits of these new technologies are overwhelmingly positive, negative consequences are experienced by a minority of individuals. One possible negative aspect of new technologies is their problematic use due to impulsive use which may lead to lower life satisfaction. The present study investigated the mediating role of problematic video gaming (PVG) and problematic Facebook use (PFU) in the relationship between impulsivity dimensions and life satisfaction as well as the relationship between impulsivity dimensions and problematic behaviors. Additionally, the potential impact of gender differences was also examined. The study comprised 673 gamers (391 females) aged 17–38 years (M = 21.25 years, SD = 2.67) selected from 1365 individuals who completed an offline survey. PFU was assessed using the Facebook Intrusion Scale, and PVG was assessed using the nine-item Internet Gaming Disorder Scale–Short-Form (IGDS9-SF). Impulsivity dimensions such as attention, cognitive instability, motor, perseverance, self-control, and cognitive complexity were assessed using the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11), and life satisfaction was assessed using the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS). Depending on the specific impulsivity dimension, findings showed both positive and negative relationships between impulsivity and life satisfaction. Attention and perseverance subtypes of impulsivity were primarily associated with problematic behaviors. Additionally, cognitive complexity was associated with PFU among female gamers, whereas cognitive instability was associated with PVG among male gamers. Additionally, PVG was primarily associated with lower life satisfaction. However, there was no mediation effects between impulsivity dimensions and life satisfaction via PFU or PVG. These findings provide a better understanding of the relationship between problematic behaviors, life satisfaction, and impulsivity among gamers and the differences between male and female gamers