A Canadian Population Level Analysis of the Roles of Irrational Gambling Cognitions and Risky Gambling Practices as Correlates of Gambling Intensity and Pathological Gambling

Abstract

Using population data (N = 11,562) drawn from five Canadian gambling prevalence surveys conducted between 2000 and 2005, the current study investigated the relationship between irrational gambling cognitions and risky gambling practices upon (a) gambling intensity, as measured by percent of income spent on gambling and (b) tolerance, a diagnostic indicator of pathological gambling. First, we found irrational gambling cognitions and risky gambling practices to be positively related. Second, irrational gambling cognitions moderated the relationship between risky gambling practices and gambling intensity. Specifically, people engaging in risky practices, spent less of their income on gambling when they had fewer irrational gambling cognitions compared to those with more irrational cognitions. Third, irrational gambling cognitions moderated the relationship between risky gambling practices and tolerance. Of the people engaging in risky practices, those with no irrational cognitions reported lower levels of tolerance than those with at least one irrational cognition. Interactions with gender are reported and discussed. These findings demonstrate the importance of both gambling cognitions and gambling practices upon the intensity of gambling and pathological gambling.

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Irrational Choice under Uncertainty Correlates with Lower Striatal D2/3Receptor Binding in Rats

“…Such strategies are suboptimal when compared with mathematical norms. Furthermore, irrational decision-making under risk has been linked to the manifestation and severity of problem gambling (PG) (Ladouceur and Walker, 1996;Miller and Currie, 2008;Emond and Marmurek, 2010) and correcting such irrational cognitions is a key target of cognitive therapy for PG (Sylvain et al, 1997;Ladoucer et al, 2001). Understanding the biological basis of these decision-making biases could therefore provide valuable insight into gambling and its addictive nature.…”