Associations between recollected rates of Category D fruit machine use as a child and adult gambling in a young adult sample

Abstract

There have been recent restrictions to the range of gambling products made available to UK children, with the industry association Bacta introducing a minimum age of 18 for Category D fruit machines. Any potential government action on Category D fruit machines may want to consider limitations in the current evidence base. The present study addressed this issue, by attempting to replicate previous results associating recollected usage of Category D fruit machine usage as a child and adult gambling. Compared to previous studies, the present study used a younger adult sample, and also tested for potential moderation by subjective confidence. Three out of four main tested associations were significant and in the hypothesised direction, and a lack of significance on interaction terms yielded no evidence of potential moderation by subjective confidence. The present study therefore added to the limited evidence base on potential risks of Category D fruit machine usage.