Impact of warning and brief intervention messages on knowledge of gambling risk, irrational beliefs and behaviour

Steenbergh, Timothy A.; Whelan, James P.; Meyers, Andrew W.; May, Ryan K.; Floyd, Kim

doi:10.1080/1445979042000224377

Cited by 57 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…This suggests that despite informative signs including a statement of the chance of winning the maximum prize, knowledge does not modify player's thoughts. The results confirm previous findings that messages providing information designed to correct irrational or erroneous thoughts do not result in behavioral changes (Ladouceur et al, 2001;Steenbergh et al, 2004;Williams & Connolly, 2006).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

“…However, research suggests that effectively communicated knowledge does not modify irrational beliefs or erroneous estimations of the chances of winning (Monaghan, 2004). These results are also consistent with studies demonstrating that interventions successful in improving participants' statistical understanding of gambling do not result in any changes to gambling behaviors (Steenbergh et al, 2004;Williams & Connolly, 2006). An alternative may be to deliver messages that directly encourage the player to self-appraise the time and money spent gambling within a session rather than simply describing probabilities (see Monaghan & Blaszczynski, in press).…”

supporting

confidence: 81%

“…Hing (2003) found 86% of 954 gamblers were aware of risks related to gambling, although fewer (67%) reported noticing signs displayed in the venue, figure similar to that reported in a Canadian study (Focal Research, 2004). However, although community members may be aware of and notice signs, there is minimal data describing the extent to which the information shown is retained in memory and its effects on gambling on thoughts or behavior (Monaghan, 2004;Steenbergh et al, 2004;Williams & Connolly, 2006).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Impact of Mode of Display and Message Content of Responsible Gambling Signs for Electronic Gaming Machines on Regular Gamblers

2009

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Harm-minimisation strategies aim to reduce gambling-related risks; however, minimal evidence supports the effectiveness of current strategies involving the placement of warning signs in gambling venues and on electronic gaming machines (EGMs). This qualitative replication study evaluated the differential effect of pop-up messages compared to static signs, and the content of messages on EGMs on recall, thoughts and behaviours assessed during the session and at two-week follow-up. In study one, 127 regular EGM gamblers (male = 97, mean age = 20.3) recruited from a university student population attended a laboratory where they were randomly assigned to play a computerbased simulated EGM analogue displaying signs that differed by (a) mode of presentation (pop-up and static) and (b) message content (informative, self-appraisal, and control/blank). In study two, an identical methodology was used but carried out in an invivo gaming setting with 124 regular EGM players (male = 81, mean age = 44.1). Results from both studies showed that pop-up messages were recalled more effectively than static messages immediately and at two-week follow-up. Pop-up messages reportedly had a significantly greater impact on within-session thoughts and behaviors. Messages encouraging self-appraisal resulted in significantly greater effect on self-reported thoughts and behaviors during both the experimental session and in subsequent EGM play. These findings support the effectiveness of pop-up messages containing selfappraisal messages as an appropriate harm-minimisation initiative.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

supporting

confidence: 81%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Impact of Mode of Display and Message Content of Responsible Gambling Signs for Electronic Gaming Machines on Regular Gamblers

2009

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Section: Mathematics Of Gamblingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The investigators proposed that the abstract academic orientation of university students might have interfered with direct learning from experience. Finally, Steenbergh et al (2004) found that university students who were given an explicit warning about erroneous gambling beliefs and the Mathematics of gambling 6 negative mathematical expectation of gambling gained superior knowledge about these things, but were just as likely to gamble on a roulette game compared to students not given these messages.The purpose of the present study is to further investigate the impact of improved statistical knowledge on the gambling behavior of university students. The above research is potentially limited by relatively short periods of training, the didactic nature of some of the interventions, and the laboratory based evaluation of gambling behavior.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Does learning about the mathematics of gambling change gambling behavior?

Williams

Connolly

2006

Psychology of Addictive Behaviors

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The present research examined the influence of improved knowledge of odds and mathematical expectation on the gambling behavior of university students. A group of 198 Introductory Statistics students received instruction on probability theory using examples from gambling.One comparison group of 134 students received generic instruction on probability and a second group of 138 non-Statistics students received no mathematical instruction. Six months after the intervention, students receiving the intervention demonstrated superior ability to calculate gambling odds as well as resistance to gambling fallacies. Unexpectedly, this improved knowledge and skill was not associated with any decreases in actual gambling behavior. The implication of this research is that enhanced mathematical knowledge on its own may be insufficient to change gambling behavior. Mathematics of gambling 3Does learning about the mathematics of gambling change gambling behavior?The current generation of youth are the first to have been raised in an environment of extensive legalized and government-sanctioned gambling. Perhaps as a consequence, several surveys have found the prevalence of gambling to be higher in young adults. The lifetime rate of gambling in North American college and university students typically ranges from 70% to 94% (Adebayo, 1998;Devlin & Peppard, 1996;Engwall, Hunter, & Steinberg, 2002;Kang & Hsu, 2001;Ladouceur, Dube, & Bujold, 1994;Lesieur et al., 1991;Oster & Knapp, 1998). A recent nationally representative study of college students in the United States (LaBrie et al., 2003) found a lower prevalence, but this study was limited by low response rates and not asking about all forms of gambling. The rates of problem and pathological gambling are also high among young people. National surveys in the United States (Gerstein et al., 1999), Australia (Productivity Commission, 1999), and Sweden (Volberg et al., 2001) have found the rate of problem and pathological gambling to peak in ages 18 to 24. Similarly, a meta-analysis of all North American prevalence studies found that the 19 study samples of college students appear to have higher overall lifetime rates of problem and pathological gambling (16.4%) than either adolescents (11.8%) or adults (6.1%) (Shaffer & Hall, 2001).Educational initiatives to prevent problem gambling have recently been undertaken.These efforts have largely been spearheaded by government agencies that provide treatment for substance abuse and problem gambling. Many of these agencies have developed ongoing 'awareness campaigns' consisting of 24 hour counselling hotlines; media promotion of responsible gambling; posters/pamphlets in gaming establishments letting people know about the signs of problem gambling and where to go for help; videos on problem gambling; etc. (e.g., AADAC, 2001;Murray, 2003;Jackson et al., 2002). Some jurisdictions (e.g., Australia, Canada, Mathematics of gambling 4United States) have also introduced gambling prevention programs into the school curriculum.These include: "D...

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The Economic Psychology of Gambling

Xu¹,

Harvey²

2017

Economic Psychology

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Impact of warning and brief intervention messages on knowledge of gambling risk, irrational beliefs and behaviour

Cited by 57 publications

References 23 publications

Impact of Mode of Display and Message Content of Responsible Gambling Signs for Electronic Gaming Machines on Regular Gamblers

Impact of Mode of Display and Message Content of Responsible Gambling Signs for Electronic Gaming Machines on Regular Gamblers

Does learning about the mathematics of gambling change gambling behavior?

The Economic Psychology of Gambling

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