Pareto Distributions in Gambling: Is Most Spending Really Attributed to the “Vital Few”?

The extent to which certain subgroups of customers drive gambling revenue is a key area of interest for researchers and gambling operators alike. Interest in these areas has grown substantially in recent years, perhaps in part due to the expansion of online and land-based gambling in the United States (e.g., sports betting) and worldwide. However, we know little about the stability of customer revenue distributions. Understanding the stability of revenue distributions is an important step to more fully understanding the scope of risk for gambling harm to individuals over time. Research about the distribution of gambling activity and what percentage certain subgroups of gamblers are responsible for is mixed, with some studies showing a “Pareto” distribution (i.e., a small or “vital few”, or about 20% responsible for about 80% of activity, and a larger or “trivial many”, or about 80% responsible for the remaining 20% of activity), and others identifying different distributional forms. This lightning talk will explore how members of the “vital few” and “trivial many” groups might change or remain stable over time, and how both group membership and changes (or stability) in group membership might predict the risk of gambling-related problems. A better understanding of the percentage of customers who contribute to the majority of gambling revenue is important for researchers so they can learn more about the characteristics of this group. Gambling operators can use this knowledge to enhance player safety and responsible gambling programs

New Applications of Self-Control Theory to Computer-Focused Cyber Deviance and Victimization: A Comparison of Cognitive and Behavioral Measures of Self-Control and Test of Peer Cyber Deviance and Gender as Moderators

This study tests the effects of behavioral and cognitive measures of self-control on computer-focused cyber deviance and cyber victimization with survey data from 1,036 adult employees. We examine moderating effects of cyber deviant peers and gender in the relationship between self-control, and cyber deviance and victimization. Cognitive and behavioral measures of self-control are negativity associated with cyber deviance, whereas only behavioral self-control predicted reduced cyber victimization. Moderation analyses show that cyber deviant peer associations condition the relationship between self-control, and both cyber deviance and victimization. Gender moderation models reveal no consistent significant effects. The results have implications for the understanding of cognitive predictors of computer-focused cybercrime and victimization, as well as institutional cybercrime prevention policies. Our findings can inform the future integration of self-control and social learning theories in cyberspace

Examining Relationships between Cryptocurrency Investing, Day Trading, and Gambling Behavior in a Sample of U.S. Adults

This study will collect data from a sample of U.S. adults to measure interrelationships between cryptocurrency investing, day trading, and gambling behavior

Exploring Cognitive Decision-making Processes, Computer-focused Cyber Deviance Involvement and Victimization The Role of Thoughtfully Reflective Decision-making

Objectives: Investigate the relationship between thoughtfully reflective decision-making (TRDM) and computer-focused cyber deviance involvement and computer-focused cybercrime victimization. Method: Survey data collected from samples of 1,039 employees and 418 students at a large private university were analyzed using ordinary least squares and negative binomial regression to test the effects of TRDM on computer-focused cyber deviance involvement and victimization. Results: TRDM reduces computer-focused cyber deviance involvement and computer-focused cybercrime victimization across measures and samples. The sensitivity analyses also indicated that TRDM is a more robust predictor of cyber deviance involvement than victimization. The results from moderation analyses showed that, whereas protective effects of TRDM are invariant across genders, they are less salient among older employees for the scenario-based measure of cybercrime victimization. Conclusions: Individual-level cognitive decision-making processes are important in predicting computer-focused cyber deviance involvement and victimization. These results can inform the development of targeted institutional and criminal justice policies aimed at reducing computer-focused cybercrime. </jats:sec

Responsible gambling message fatigue preprint

Message fatigue is an aversive psychological state that is characterized as feelings of boredom that results from repeated exposure to messages promoting the same health behavior. Because responsible gambling messages are widely distributed, it is possible that feelings of fatigue could reduce their efficacy. This cross-sectional study with N = 822 U.S. adults explores potential predictors of fatigue and modeling the effects of fatigue on gambling related outcomes through reactance and inattention. Results indicated that industry employment history ( = -0.57, p &lt; .01), problem gambling status ( = 0.15, p &lt; .001), and gambling frequency ( = 0.32, p &lt; .001) emerged as significant predictors of fatigue. Fatigue significantly predicted participants’ psychological reactance ( = 0.27, p &lt; .001) and inattention to responsible gambling messages ( = 0.28, p &lt; .001). Both reactance and inattention significantly predicted participants’ gambling intentions (reactance: = 0.70, p &lt; .001; inattention: = 0.06, p &lt; .01) and intentions to share responsible gambling messages with others (reactance: = -0.72, p &lt; .001; inattention: = -0.58, p &lt; .01). Results suggest fatigue and reactance have potential to mitigate the effectiveness of responsible gambling messages and should be considered when designing messages

Cryptocurrency Trading, Day Trading, and Gambling Behavior: Examining the Moderating Effects of Financially Focused Self-Concept and Gambling Motives

Background and Aims: Cryptocurrency and day trading have grown in popularity over the past decade following the creation of the first cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, in 2009. These activities share important features with gambling, including risking money on an uncertain outcome, a chance of monetary rewards, and the potential to experience harm (e.g., financial or relationship problems). However, little is known about cryptocurrency and day trading engagement in the adult population, including associations with gambling behavior, harm, and psychological factors that might moderate these relationships. Methods: We analyzed cross-sectional data for n = 822 adults from an online panel in the U.S. to examine: (1) the extent to which cryptocurrency trading, day trading, and gambling are associated, (2) relationships between cryptocurrency trading, day trading, and higher risk gambling, and (3) whether financially focused self-concept and four types of gambling motives moderate these relationships. Results: We found moderate to strong positive intercorrelations between cryptocurrency and day trading, and gambling behavior, including engagement and risk. We identified significant moderating effects of financially focused self-concept, and coping motives for gambling, on the relationship between cryptocurrency trading and gambling frequency, and between day trading and gambling frequency. For the models predicting higher risk gambling status, the only significant moderators were financially focused self-concept for the day trading model, and the enhancement motive for the cryptocurrency and day trading models. Conclusions: Our results have important implications for research on gambling-adjacent activities and gambling, as well as on the moderating roles of psychosocial concepts in these relationships

Gambling Researchers’ Use and Views of Open Science Principles and Practices: A Brief Report

Scientists across disciplines have begun to implement “open science” principles and practices, which are designed to enhance the quality, transparency, and replicability of scientific research. Yet, studies examining the use of open science practices in social science fields such as psychology and economics show that awareness and use of such practices often is low. In gambling studies research, no studies to date have empirically investigated knowledge of and use of open science practices. In the present study, we collected survey data about awareness and use of open science practices from 86 gambling studies research stakeholders who had attended a major international gambling studies conference in May 2019. We found that—as hypothesized—a minority of gambling research stakeholders reported: 1) either some or extensive experience using open science research practices in general, and 2) either some or regular experience using specific open science practices, including study pre-registration, open materials/code, open data, and pre-print archiving. Most respondents indicated that replication was important for all studies in gambling research, and that genetic, neuroscience, and lab-based game characteristic studies were areas most in need of replication. Our results have important implications for open science education initiatives and for contemporary research methodology in gambling studies