Deriving low‐risk gambling limits from longitudinal data collected in two independent Canadian studies

Abstract

Longitudinal data in Canada suggest low-risk gambling thresholds of eight times per month, $75CAN total per month and 1.7% of income spent on gambling, all of which are higher than previously derived limits from cross-sectional data. Gamblers who exceed any of the three low-risk limits are four times more likely to experience future harm than those who do not.

Behavioral Economics and Gambling: A New Paradigm for Approaching Harm-Minimization

“…Tailored feedback is common practice in marketing and health communication due to its apparent effectiveness in changing behaviour long term (Jung, Ginis, Phillips, & Lordon, 2011;Kreuter & Wray, 2003;Nollen et al, 2007;Postma & Brokke, 2002;Strickland et al, 2015;Xu, Liao, & Li, 2008). Furthermore, unlike alcohol, there are no standard guidelines for 'safe' levels of gambling that could be recommended as a public education tool for the whole population (Currie et al, 2006(Currie et al, , 2017. Player information can be used to assist players to work out their own affordable gambling limits, as compared to regulatory guidelines.…”

Commentary on Currie et al. (2017): Low‐risk gambling limits—a bridge too far?

“…Currie et al . 's study draws upon data from large prospective studies and advances previous research on this topic. They develop guidelines using general participation measures (times participated per month, monthly gambling expenditure, percentage of income spent on gambling), but caution against premature application.…”

“…ORs for Currie et al . 's risk factors ranged from 1.4 to 3.1, and together accounted for less than 20% of harm variance. Enhanced prediction will almost certainly require inclusion of particular gambling forms and, perhaps, settings.…”

“…Currie et al . acknowledge that non‐gambling factors may need to be considered with ‘additional guidelines and cautionary statements for more vulnerable populations’. Past problem gamblers come into this category.…”

“…Currie et al . used seven Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) items that cover only three harm domains. Recent research has identified seven domains .…”