Chasing losses in online poker and casino games: Characteristics and game play of Internet gamblers at risk of disordered gambling

Gainsbury, Sally; Suhonen, Niko; Saastamoinen, Jani

doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2014.03.033

Cited by 74 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Most of the samples were composed of young men (between 74% and 100%). For all studies except that of Gainsbury, Suhonen, and Saastamoinen (2014) (in which 60% were older than 35), the participants’ average age ranged between 21 and 30 years (Table 1). Generally, the scales used in these studies are very heterogeneous and may not be validated (see Table 1).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Psychopathology of Online Poker Players: Review of Literature

Moreau¹,

Chabrol²,

Chauchard³

2016

J Behav Addict

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Background and aimsOnline Texas Hold’em poker has become a spectacular form of entertainment in our society, and the number of people who use this form of gambling is increasing. It seems that online poker activity challenges existing theoretical concepts about problem gambling behaviors. The purpose of this literature review is to provide a current overview about the population of online poker players.MethodsTo be selected, articles had to focus on psychopathology in a sample of online poker players, be written in English or French, and be published before November 2015. A total of 17 relevant studies were identified.ResultsIn this population, the proportion of problematic gamblers was higher than in other forms of gambling. Several factors predicting excessive gambling were identified such as stress, internal attribution, dissociation, boredom, negative emotions, irrational beliefs, anxiety, and impulsivity. The population of online poker players is largely heterogeneous, with experimental players forming a specific group. Finally, the validity of the tools used to measure excessive or problematic gambling and irrational beliefs are not suitable for assessing online poker activity.Discussion and conclusionsFuture studies need to confirm previous findings in the literature of online poker games. Given that skills are important in poker playing, skill development in the frames of excessive use of online poker should be explored more in depth, particularly regarding poker experience and loss chasing. Future research should focus on skills, self-regulation, and psychopathology of online poker players.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(2014) studied chasing in a population of online poker and casino gamblers. Chasing “losses” is one of the diagnostic criteria of problematic gambling and one of the rare observable behaviors of problematic gambling (Gainsbury, 2011).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychopathology of Online Poker Players: Review of Literature

Moreau¹,

Chabrol²,

Chauchard³

2016

J Behav Addict

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“…As losses mount, the probability of chasing one's losses, in an emotion--driven attempt to repair financial and esteem deficits, increases significantly. Chasing losses is one of the strongest predictors of gambling--related harm (Blaszczynski & Nower, 2002;Gainsbury et al, 2014;Svetieva & Walker, 2008).…”

Section: Risk For Harm In Online Gamblingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, it appears that as a player gains more experience in poker, the more likely they are to have positive gambling outcomes (Linnet et al, 2012), and that gambling cognition is based more upon rational decision--making rather than contemplation of winning (St. Germain & Tenenbaum, 2011). It is argued that because poker gambling can be discontinuous and skill--based, there is less opportunity for dissociation, meaning monetary loss is less predictive of harm Fiedler, 2011;Gainsbury et al, 2014).…”

Section: Risk For Harm In Poker (Offline and Online)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying risk and mitigating gambling-related harm in online poker

Parke

Griffiths

2016

Journal of Risk Research

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The present paper conducts a critical analysis of the potential for gambling--related harm in relation to online poker participation, and a theoretical evaluation of current responsible gambling strategies employed to mitigate harm in online poker gambling. Theoretically, the primary risk for harm in online poker is the rapid and continuous nature of poker provisions online, and has been demonstrated to be associated with disordered gambling behaviour, including the chasing of monetary losses. The following responsible gambling features were deemed relevant for consideration: informed player choice, voluntary self--exclusion, employee intervention, pre--commitment, in--game feedback, behavioural tracking tools, and age restriction and verification.Although current responsible gambling features are evaluated as theoretically robust, there remains a fundamental need for experimental validation of their effectiveness. Furthermore, despite online poker gamblers perceiving the responsible gambling features as valuable tools, in reality very few players regularly use available responsible gambling features. Ultimately, for the online poker gambling industry to retain market credibility and avoid substantial top--down regulation, it is imperative to demonstrate effectiveness of responsible gambling approaches, and increase customer utilisation of available harm--mitigation features.

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“…Internet gambling is steadily increasing in popularity due to a fast-growing online gambling industry [1]. Although most players gamble for fun and never experience serious gambling-related problems, a small proportion of players will experience serious financial and health consequences [2].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Telecommunications Network Measurements of Online Gambling Behavior in Switzerland: A Feasibility Study

et al. 2017

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Background: Methodological shortcomings of gambling studies relying on self-report or on data sets derived from gambling operators tend to result in biased conclusions. The aim of this study was to analyze online gambling behavior using a novel network database approach. Methods: From October 13 to October 26, 2014, telecommunications network data from a major telecommunications provider in Switzerland were analyzed. Netflows between mobile devices and a poker operator were quantified to measure the gambling duration and session number. Results: Time spent gambling during night and working hours was compared between devices with longest (red group), intermediate (orange group), and shortest gambling time (green group). Online gambling behavior differed depending on overall gambling time, F (2, 3,143). Night and working hours gambling was the highest in the red group (53%), compared to the orange (50.1%) and the green groups (41.5%). Post hoc analyses indicated significant differences between the orange and green groups (p < 0.05). No differences were observed between the red and orange groups (p = 0.850), and the red and green groups (p = 0.053). Conclusions: On mobile devices, distinct gambling patterns were observed depending on the overall gambling time. This methodology could also be used to investigate online gaming, social media use, and online pornography.

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Chasing losses in online poker and casino games: Characteristics and game play of Internet gamblers at risk of disordered gambling

Cited by 74 publications

References 39 publications

Psychopathology of Online Poker Players: Review of Literature

Psychopathology of Online Poker Players: Review of Literature

Identifying risk and mitigating gambling-related harm in online poker

Telecommunications Network Measurements of Online Gambling Behavior in Switzerland: A Feasibility Study

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