Does context matter? A multilevel analysis of gambling settings among undergraduates

Abstract

Background:Research has yet to disentangle and estimate the relative contributions of both contextual and individual characteristics to explain time and money expenditures on gambling. Methods: Data are drawn from the University Student Gambling Habit Survey (ENHJEU), a campus-stratified survey targeting full-time undergraduates enrolled at three universities in Montreal, Canada (N ¼ 2139). Up to three gambling occasions were investigated per respondent, resulting in 1757 gambling occasions distributed among 916 students. Multilevel analyses were performed to estimate the variances in time and money expenditures that are derived at the individual level (level 2) and at the contextual level (level 1). Results: Regarding time expenditures, the intraclass correlation revealed that 58% of the estimated variance is between students, whereas 42% is between occasions. All contextual variables including alcohol use, days of the week, social context, group size and experience of play were significantly related to students' time spent gambling, with the exception of drug use. With respect to money expenditures, 56% of the estimated variance is between individuals, whereas 44% is explained by the gambling occasions. Money expenditures per occasion vary based on whether students were gambling on a weekday or during the weekend, how many people they were gambling with, and the general experience of play. Conclusions: Prevention strategies should focus on educational messages that provide tips and tricks for balancing leisure gambling time and daily responsibilities (e.g. studies). It is also important to deploy effective prevention tools to break isolation and loss of control in concentrated settings.

The Influence of Locus of Control and Sensation Seeking Among Undergraduate Texas Hold’em Players

“…Undergraduate students tend to spend more money on games in which skill is perceived as an important factor in comparison to those games perceived to be more dependent on chance (Kairouz, Paradis, & Monson, 2015). The illusion of control thus refers to an overestimation of the impact of skill on the outcome of the game.…”

“…Further, the context in which gambling occurs (e.g., online vs. non-online) influences the time and money individuals spend on gambling (Kairouz, Paradis, & Monson, 2015).…”

Win or Lose: Negotiating meaning of time and money within three gambling settings

“…Players do not have complete knowledge of the game state and feel powerless in affecting the outcome of the game. It has been argued elsewhere that gamblers tend to spend more in settings where gambling is the sole activity (Kairouz, Paradis, & Monson, 2015), therefore losing the euphoric function of the game. In the current paper, shared experiences by college student gamblers seem to indicate a greater difficulty in defining a sufficiently finite and malleable membrane to adequately frame casino and online gambling into meaningful and relevant experiences.…”

“…Poker tournaments with rules concerning the entrance fee are preferred as they allow players to reach that goal. Indeed, private games of skills such as poker have been previously associated with recreational gambling (Kairouz, Paradis, & Monson, 2015). Although concerns for expenditures are secondary to players in this form of gambling encounter, a minimum bet is necessary to keep the game fun and to maintain players' full attention.…”

Are General and Activity-Specific PGSI Scores Consistent?

“…Research has repeatedly shown that gambling patterns and problems vary greatly according to the type and number of activities, as well as gambling-specific contextual factors such as location of venue, availability, and accessibility (Binde, 2011;Binde, Romild, & Volberg, 2017;Calado & Griffiths, 2016;Costes, Kairouz, Monson, & Eroukmanoff, 2018;Kairouz, Nadeau, & Paradis, 2011;Kairouz, Paradis, & Monson, 2015;Stevens & Young, 2010). Studies have found associations between specific types of gambling activities and problem gambling.…”