Achieving gambling goals: Why gamblers may continue to gamble even in the face of loss What this research is about “Chasing” behaviour is when gamblers continue to gamble and bet more m
Trang 1Achieving gambling goals: Why
gamblers may continue to gamble even
in the face of loss
What this research is about
“Chasing” behaviour is when gamblers continue to
gamble and bet more money to win back losses
This behaviour is often found in problem gamblers A
gambler may continue to play to achieve a gambling
goal, such as winning money Limit-setting tools on
electronic gaming machines aim to reduce chasing
behaviour by encouraging players to limit their
money and time spent on gambling However, some
gamblers may be resistant to placing limits on their
time and money because it may reduce their chances
to reach their gambling goal This study explored
the relationship between chasing behaviour and
achieving gambling goals The researchers assessed
how achieving gambling goals could influence
young adult gamblers from a Canadian university to
continue gambling on slot machine play
What the researcher did
121 participants who reported lifetime gambling were
recruited through the researchers’ web-based portal
at a Canadian university Participants played slot
machines located in a virtual casino environment
They had $20 to gamble and 5 minutes to play 30
spins The researchers programmed the first 30
spins, with half the participants having either won or
lost a certain amount of money (up or down $3) After
the 30th spin, the researchers asked the participants
if they wished to continue gambling If they agreed,
the next slot machine outcomes were losses
The participants completed self-reported questionnaires on other motivational behaviours, problem gambling severity and the importance of achieving gambling goals Gambling goals included winning more money than other participants, winning money to show off gambling ability and winning back money that was lost from past plays
The researchers analyzed the data to assess what factors influenced a player’s: (1) decision to chase and (2) the number of plays or chasing spins after the player had decided to chase
What you need to know
Gambling goals may influence gamblers to chase after their losses and to win back money Gambling goals may include winning more money than other players or showing off gambling ability In this study, gamblers who placed a greater importance
on achieving their gambling goals were more likely
to chase after their losses and chase in the face
of loss than gamblers who were less motivated
to achieve their gambling goals Gambling policy makers may use this information to promote responsible gambling Responsible goal-setting tools that encourage setting realistic gambling goals maybe more effective at reducing problem gambling behaviours compared to limit-setting tools
Trang 2This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Canada
License
What the researcher found
Many of the participants had problem gambling
symptoms Most of the gamblers decided to chase
after the first 30 spins Gamblers with higher
gambling goals were more likely to chase and chase
for more spins in the face of loss Gamblers who
reported higher gambling goals and more severe
gambling problems were more likely to continue to
play
How you can use this research
Gambling goals may be linked with chasing
behaviour Young adult gamblers who are motivated
to win money and place a greater importance on
achieving their gambling goals may chase more often
and continue to chase in the face of loss
Gambling health promoters may use this information
to develop tools to help gamblers set responsible
gambling goals Gamblers may need to understand
setting high gambling goals may lead to more
problem gambling behaviours
Gambling policy makers may use this information to
promote responsible gambling Responsible
goal-setting tools may be adapted with messaging around
the gambler’s achievement to remind players and
offer a reality check on the time and money spent
About the Researcher
Jamey J Lister is affiliated with the School of Social
Work, Wayne State University and the Substance
Abuse Research Division, Department of Psychiatry
and Behavioral Neurosciences, School of Medicine,
Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA
Lia Nower is affiliated with the Center for Gambling
Studies, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New
Jersey, USA
Michael J.A Wohl is affiliated with the Department
of Psychology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Correspondence about this article can be directed to Jamey J Lister, jlister@wayne.edu
Citation
Lister, J J., Nower, L., & Wohl, M J A (2016) Gambling goals predict chasing behavior during slot machine play Addictive Behaviors, 62, 129-134 doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2016.06.018
Keywords
Gambling goals, chasing, electronic gaming machines (EGMs), problem gambling, motivation, responsible gambling
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