Do you read me? Including personalized behavioral feedback in pop-up messages does not enhance limit adherence among gamblers

The current research tested the idea that monetary limit adherence is upregulated by informing players how much money and credits they lost gambling when their limit was reached. In Study 1, players (N = 124) at a local gambling venue gambled on a virtual Electronic Gaming Machine (EGM) with a pre-determined money limit. By way of a pop-up message, some players were informed when their limit had been reached, while other players received additional personalized behavioral feedback about how much money and credits they lost. Limit adherence did not vary by condition. Informatively, half of the participants could not recall the content of the pop-up message. In Study 2 (N = 109), the pop-up message was adjusted to remain on the EGM for 10 s. Additionally, players set their own money limit. Replicating Study 1, personalized behavioral feedback did not improve limit adherence. Again, approximately 50% of players in both conditions could not recall the content of the pop-up message. These results have implications for pop-up messages as a means to convey information to players of EGMs—many players do not read the content of pop-up messages, thus they may not be an effective means for conveying enhanced responsible gambling information

A limit approaching pop-up message reduces gambling expenditures, except among players with a financially focused self-concept

Responsible gambling (RG) tools that guide electronic gaming machine (EGM) players to set a pre-set money limit on their gambling expenditures are known to reduce excessive gambling. However, not all EGM players who use a limit-setting RG tool will adhere to their limit. We hypothesized that limit adherence is facilitated by informing players that their limit is approaching (and when their limit is reached), but undermined by a financially focused self-concept (FFS). Accordingly, EGM players (N = 88) were provided seed funds to gamble with on a slot machine in a simulated virtual reality casino. They were randomly assigned to receive a limit reminder both when their limit was approaching and again when their limit was reached (experimental condition) or just when their limit was reached (control condition). Players in the experimental condition were more likely to stop playing before reaching their money limit compared to players in the control condition. However, this was observed among players who are low, but not high, in FFS. Unexpectedly, condition (control vs experimental) was unrelated to playing beyond the money limit and FFS did not moderate this relation. Results suggest that individual difference factors, like FFS, can undermine the utility of RG tools

How much have you won or lost? Personalized behavioral feedback about gambling expenditures regulates play

In the current research, we tested the utility of a responsible gambling tool that provides players with personalized behavioral feedback about their play. We hypothesized that when the player's estimated monetary loss is less than their actual monetary loss, subsequent expenditures will be reduced. To this end, players (N = 649) enrolled in a casino-based loyalty program were asked how much they have won or lost over a three-month period whilst using their loyalty card. They were then provided with their player-account data. Results indicated that players who under-estimated their losses (i.e., those who lost more money than they thought at Time 1) did not perceive that they had reduced their play in the 3-month follow-up period. However, data on actual play indicated that they significantly reduced the amount they wagered as well as the amount they lost during the follow-up period. Given that informed decision-making is the raison d'etre of responsible gambling tools, these results suggest that providing players with accurate information about how much they spend gambling can moderate gambling expenditures

When should players be taught to gamble responsibly? Timing of educational information upregulates responsible gambling intentions

Educating gamblers about responsible gambling (RG) practices (e.g. setting and adhering to a pre-set money limit) plays a central role in minimizing the harms associated with electronic gaming machine (EGM) play. However, little is known about when such educational information is best presented. Herein, using the principle of active learning, we tested the idea that players’ intentions to gamble responsibly will be heightened if RG educational information is provided in advance of (as opposed to following) a RG-related decision. To this end, a community sample of EGM players who were at a gaming venue (N = 98) were recruited to play an ostensibly real virtual reality slot machine and complete a survey prior to their planned gambling session. Participants were shown a RG-oriented educational animation just prior to initiating play or in advance of making a decision about whether to continue playing after their money limit was reached. As predicted, players who viewed the educational animation in advance of a RG-related decision about continuing play were more likely to express an intention to set a money limit in their upcoming gambling session at the gaming venue. Disordered gambling symptomatology moderated this effect—players low (compared to those high) in disordered gambling symptomatology expressed greater intention to set a money limit when the educational animation was viewed directly in advance of making a RG-related decision. Results suggest that learning RG actively (i.e. pairing RG education with its associated behavior, in vivo) can increase players’ intention to gamble responsibly