Examining Neural Reactivity to Gambling Cues in the Age of Online Betting

Abstract

Purpose of Review The goal of this review is to provide new insights as to how and why functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) research on gambling cue reactivity can contribute to significant progress toward the understanding of gambling disorder. After having offered a detailed description of experimental paradigms and a comprehensive summary of findings related to gambling cue reactivity, the present review suggests methodological avenues for future research. Recent Findings The fMRI literature on problem gambling has identified the main neural pathways associated with reactivity to gambling cues. Yet, the current knowledge on the key factors underlying cue reactivity in gambling is still very incomplete. Here, we suggest that the recent expansion of online sports betting calls for a new line of research offering a fine-grained and up-to-date approach of neural cue reactivity in gambling disorder. Summary Experimental designs that investigate individual-specific and study-specific factors related to sports betting have the potential to foster progress toward efficient treatment and prevention of gambling disorder.

Interference-based methods to mitigate gambling craving: a proof-of-principle pilot study

“…The gambling landscape has significantly evolved in recent years and gambling opportunities have unprecedentedly exploded with the advent of Internet and mobile gambling (Brevers et al, 2019;Sharman et al, 2019). Moreover, involvement in gambling has tended to become normalized by advertisements, sponsorship, and popular movies (e.g., James Bond's Casino Royale; Campbell, 2006).…”

Reliability assessment of temporal discounting measures in virtual reality environments

“…Studies probing cue reactivity in pathological gamblers have typically either used picture stimuli [4,5,30,[22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29] or real-life gambling environments (i.e. gambling facilities) [12] .…”

Commentary on Murch et al. (2020): ‘When viewing is already gambling'—the need for eye‐tracking research to examine sports betting cue–reactivity

“…Initial strides towards this objective have been taken by neuroimaging research on cue–reactivity . Specifically, a recent functional magnetic resonance imaging study has shown that the brain processes information about sporting cues differently, depending on whether sports fans think about a sporting event with the intention of gambling on the outcome or think about it with the intention of merely watching it .…”

“…From the standpoint of the present commentary, the examination of sports betting, cue–reactivity should greatly benefit from a multi‐level approach, featuring eye‐tracking measurements. Indeed, a key feature of a cue–reactivity paradigm is that it exposes participants to cues that depict real‐life (gambling) situations through visual and/or auditory stimulations . Hence, eye‐tracking procedures should offer innovative markers of cue–reactivity patterns that characterize the sports betting digitalized experience (i.e.…”

“…individuals exposed to visual stimuli on a computer screen). Secondly, because every sports fan can express a degree of confidence in the result of a forthcoming sports event , research should be able to grasp how eye movements are modulated by the level of interest and by the weighing process of deliberative thought towards sports betting cues. Thirdly, in contrast to sexual activity, food, buying, or consuming psychoactive substances, sports betting (and gambling per se ) does not show sensory‐specific satiety effects (i.e.…”