The relationship between structural game characteristics and gambling behavior: a population-level study

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between the structural characteristics and gambling behavior among video lottery terminal (VLT) gamblers. The study was ecological valid, because the data consisted of actual gambling behavior registered in the participants natural gambling environment without intrusion by researchers. Online behavioral tracking data from Multix, an eight game video lottery terminal, were supplied by Norsk-Tipping (the state owned gambling company in Norway). The sample comprised the entire population of Multix gamblers (N = 31,109) who had gambled in January 2010. The individual number of bets made across games was defined as the dependent variable, reward characteristics of a game (i.e., payback percentage, hit frequency, size of winnings and size of jackpot) and bet characteristics of a game (i.e., range of betting options and availability of advanced betting options) served as the independent variables. Control variables were age and gender. Two separate cross-classified multilevel random intercepts models were used to analyze the relationship between bets made, reward characteristics and bet characteristics, where the number of bets was nested within both individuals and within games. The results show that the number of bets is positively associated with payback percentage, hit frequency, being female and age, and negatively associated with size of wins and range of available betting options. In summary, the results show that the reward characteristics and betting options explained 27 % and 15 % of the variance in the number of bets made, respectively. It is concluded that structural game characteristics affect gambling behavior. Implications of responsible gambling are discussed

The Role of Body Image on Psychosocial Outcomes in People With Diabetes and People With an Amputation

IntroductionResearch indicates that body image disturbance is associated with poorer psychosocial outcomes for individuals with physical health conditions, with poorest body image reported for individuals with visible bodily changes. Using White's (2000) theoretical model of body image the present paper aimed to examine the nature of these relationships in two distinct groups: individuals with an amputation and individuals with diabetes. It was hypothesized that body image disturbance would be associated with psychosocial outcomes and would mediate the relationships between self-ideal discrepancy and personal investment in psychosocial outcomes.MethodsIndividuals with diabetes (N = 212) and individuals with an amputation (N = 227) provided details regarding their medical condition, and completed measures assessing body image, investment, self-ideal discrepancy, depression, anxiety, and quality of life. Structural equation and invariance modeling were used to test the model paths and the invariance of the model.ResultsAs hypothesized, body image disturbance was found to mediate the relationships between personal investment and psychosocial outcome, and between self-ideal discrepancy and psychosocial outcome. The predicted paths were invariant across groups, although the model accounted for more variance in people with an amputation than people with diabetes.ConclusionBody image disturbance, personal investment, and self-ideal discrepancy are important factors contributing to psychosocial outcome for individuals with diabetes and individuals with an amputation. These findings not only confirm the validity of the model in these two groups, but they emphasize the importance of targeting body image in future psychological interventions for individuals with a health condition

An Empirical Evaluation of the ClubsNSW (Australia) Multi-Venue Self-Exclusion Program

Few empirical studies have evaluated the effectiveness of self-exclusion programs. Research is required to identify factors contributing to decisions to enter and/or breach self-exclusion orders, or to self-excluded gamblers to seek additional treatment. Clinical characteristics of self-excluders remain relatively unknown in addition to factors that differentiate gamblers who do or do not breach. Limitations of current programs are that gamblers can self-exclude from only one or a limited number of venues. The Multi-venue Self-exclusion program, developed and implemented by ClubsNSW (Australia), is a centralised web-based system designed to help problem gamblers self exclude from up to 35 venues at a time. The online system presents gamblers with the choice of registering from within the venue assisted by the club manager or a trained staff member, or to self-exclude offsite through a gambling counsellor. In a retrospective design, the population characteristics, and the motivations and behaviours of a sample of self-excluded gamblers will be described; the implications of the study findings for the management of the Multi-venue Self-exclusion program will be discussed

Vital Business Educators Perceptions about the Usefulness of Business Education Periodicals

Problem: The business education literature isn’t accessible. Research Questions: Which business education periodicals do vital business educators perceive to be more useful? In which databases and/or indices are they found? How much literature is fugitive? What strategies might increase literature accessibility? Research Method: Delphi technique. Data Collection Procedures:A survey was distributed to 25 vital business educators. Results: The Delta Pi Epsilon Journal and the NABTE Review were rated as essential to the profession; nine periodicals were rated as very useful; and six periodicals were rated as useful. Eleven databases and indices were identified as potentially useful. Conclusions: Approximately 37% of the studied periodicals are fugitive, confirming literature inaccessibility. Recommendations: Strategies to increase the accessibility of the business education literature include libraries carefully selecting complementary databases, getting periodicals indexed, placing periodical tables of contents on the web, improving fugitive-literature retrieval skills, and developing an electronic business education database

Crime and gambling disorders: A systematic review

It is generally believed that there is an instrumental relationship between problem gambling and crime such that some gamblers resort to illegal activity to recoup financial shortfalls resulting from their gambling. However, a clear understanding of the risk factors for the commission of crimes beyond financial stresses is absent in the literature. The aim of this review was to identify the nature of crimes perpetrated by problem gamblers and the factors that contribute to the commission of gambling-related crimes. A systematic review adhering to guidelines outlined in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement searching eight databases – PsycINFO, Westlaw AU, Heinonline, Legal Source via Ebsco, Legaltrac via Gale, PubMed, Scopus, and Medline – was conducted. A total of 21 papers were included after screening and application of exclusion criteria. All studies examined reported crimes committed by problem gamblers, with a validated assessment tool measuring problem gambling. The review provided evidence that gambling-related crime typically consists of non-violent, income-generating offences. However, it also revealed that problem gamblers may commit violent crimes at a higher than expected rate, which may have been concealed by deliberate and unintentional under-reporting of gambling-related crimes. The causal relationship between problem gambling and violent crime, however, remains uncertain. Based on this review, suggestions are offered for the evaluation of perpetrators of gambling-related crime on a case-by-case basis, to better understand the relationship between gambling and crime and facilitate more frequent application of therapeutic jurisprudence in future.This work was supported by funding provided by the School of Psychology, Science Faculty, the University of Sydney. This work was supported by an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Research Award [DE1060100459] awarded to Dr. Sally Gainsbury

Self-reported losses versus actual losses in online gambling: an empirical study

Many research findings in the gambling studies field rely on self-report data. A very small body of empirical research also suggests that when using self-report, players report their gambling losses inaccurately. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the differences between objective and subjective gambling spent data by comparing gambler’s actual behavioral tracking data with their self-report data over a 1-month period. A total of 17,742 Norwegian online gamblers were asked to participate in an online survey. Of those surveyed, 1335 gamblers answered questions relating to gambling expenditure that could be compared with their actual gambling behavior. The study found that the estimated loss self-reported by gamblers was correlated with the actual objective loss and that players with higher losses tended to have more difficulty estimating their gambling expenditure (i.e., players who spent more money gambling also appeared to have more trouble estimating their expenses accurately). Overall, the findings demonstrate that caution is warranted when using self-report data relating to amount of money spent gambling in any studies that are totally reliant on self-report data

Zekerheid op Lading: Pandrecht en retentierecht op roerende zaken en cognossement in het handelsverkeer

Een zekerheidsrecht functioneert in het recht ongeveer op dezelfde manier als de grijper van een kraan in de haven. Zoals de machinist van een kraan de grijper kan openen of sluiten, zo heeft de zekerheidshouder de bevoegdheid om de zaken onder zich te houden totdat de verschuldigde vordering is betaald, dan wel om de zaken af te geven aan de schuldenaar of een derde. Door de uitoefening van zijn zekerheidsrecht houdt de schuldeiser dus grip op de lading. Dit aspect van het zekerheidsrecht is van groot belang voor logistieke dienstverleners en banken. De door hen verrichte handelingen, zoals kredietverlening, fysieke distributie, expeditie, vervoer, bewaarneming, laden, lossen, opdracht en lastgeving, brengen kosten met zich mee die in beginsel verhaalbaar zijn op de contractuele wederpartij, de schuldenaar. In veel gevallen wordt het verschuldigde loon echter pas betaald na het verrichten van de handeling ten behoeve van de zaken. Daardoor loopt de schuldeiser steeds het risico dat de schuldenaar, om wat voor reden dan ook, verzuimt zijn verbintenis uit de overeenkomst, namelijk de verplichting tot het betalen van het loon, na te komen. Hier komt het belang van het zekerheidsrecht naar voren: door middel van een zekerheidsrecht kan de schuldeiser het risico van wanbetaling door de schuldenaar beperken. De schuldeiser behoeft de zaken niet af te geven zolang het loon niet is betaald en hij kan zich zelfs onder bepaalde omstandigheden op de zaken verhalen. Uiteraard zal niet in alle gevallen waar sprake is van een betalingsverzuim een zekerheidsrecht worden ingeroepen. Vaak volstaat een commerciële oplossing, zoals het bieden van uitstel van betaling. Het zekerheidsrecht komt pas in beeld wanneer een commerciële oplossing geen resultaat (meer) geeft. Dat is het geval wanneer de schuldenaar failliet is gegaan of op andere wijze ervan blijk geeft niet aan zijn betalingsverplichtingen te kunnen voldoen. In deze gevallen waarin een commerciële oplossing niet meer baat, vervullen zekerheidsrechten een onmisbare rol. Dit boek handelt over twee zekerheidsrechten, het pandrecht en het retentierecht, en hun rol in het internationaal handelsverkeer

Treatment Seeking Problem Gamblers: Characteristics of Individuals who Offend to Finance Gambling

The relationship between Crime and gambling is well established, however few studies have examined offending specifically to finance gambling within a UK gambling treatment-seeking population. 1226 treatment-seeking gamblers completed the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), Patient Health Questionnaire, and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 item scale, and were asked whether they had committed any illegal behaviours to finance gambling. 42.5 % reported offending behaviour. A greater proportion of the offending group were single or married/ cohabiting, had a lower-level qualifications, lower income, had experienced childhood abuse, family mental health problems and gambling related harms compared to the non-offending group. Offenders reported higher anxiety, depression and disordered gambling scores. Disordered gamblers who offend make up a discrete and complex subgroup with distinct vulnerabilities. Findings will be useful to clinicians involved in the assessment and management of problematic gambling. Gamblers who offend to finance gambling may have different treatment needs and treatment providers should administer appropriate clinical interventions to address vulnerabilities

Can disordered mobile phone use be considered a behavioral addiction? An update on current evidence and a comprehensive model for future research

Despite the many positive outcomes, excessive mobile phone use is now often associated with potentially harmful and/or disturbing behaviors (e.g., symptoms of deregulated use, negative impact on various aspects of daily life such as relationship problems, and work intrusion). Problematic mobile phone use (PMPU) has generally been considered as a behavioral addiction that shares many features with more established drug addictions. In light of the most recent data, the current paper reviews the validity of the behavioral addiction model when applied to PMPU. On the whole, it is argued that the evidence supporting PMPU as an addictive behavior is scarce. In particular, it lacks studies that definitively show behavioral and neurobiological similarities between mobile phone addiction and other types of legitimate addictive behaviors. Given this context, an integrative pathway model is proposed that aims to provide a theoretical framework to guide future research in the field of PMPU. This model highlights that PMPU is a heterogeneous and multi-faceted condition