(2021) Developing and Validating Lower Risk Online Gambling
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Developing and evaluating lower-risk limits for online gambling What this research is about Lower-risk gambling limits can serve as guidelines to What you need to know prevent gambling harm in the future. The researchers The researchers developed lower-risk limits for noted that lower-risk does not mean no risk or zero online gambling using gambling data from risk as people who gamble below the limits may still customers of bwin, an online gambling operator. be at risk of harm. However, people who gamble They identified five limits that could predict a beyond the limits are expected to be at higher risk. positive screen on the Brief Biosocial Gambling Lower-risk limits have been developed for land-based Screen (BBGS). The limits were: (1) gambling 11 gambling using data from self-report surveys. People days or less per month; (2) wagering 167.97 Euros who gamble online and people who gamble in land- or less per month; (3) spending 6.71% or less of based venues may differ in demographics and levels annual household income; (4) losing 26.11 Euros of gambling involvement. It is possible different or less per month; and (5) varying daily amount lower-risk limits exist for online gambling. In this wagered by 35.14 Euros or less. Some of the limits study, the researchers developed and evaluated also predicted other proxy measures of gambling lower-risk limits for online gambling using gambling problems (e.g., self-excluding). data from customers of an online gambling operator. did not trigger a flag. Their betting records were What the researchers did obtained from May 2000 through November 2010. The researchers used three datasets provided by The third dataset included 1,722 customers who bwin, an online gambling operator with customers in completed a brief survey sent out by bwin in October Europe. The first dataset included 48,114 subscribers 2010. Their betting records were obtained from May who opened an account with bwin in February 2005 2000 through their survey completion date. The and placed at least one bet by the end of February survey included the Brief Biosocial Gambling Screen 2007. The researchers identified three subgroups: (1) (BBGS). The BBGS has three items with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ 1,013 subscribers who set a limit on their monthly response format. In this study, people who answered deposit between November 2005 and February 2007; ‘yes’ to any of the items were considered to have a (2) 312 subscribers who self-excluded by closing their positive screen for Gambling Disorder. account for reasons related to problem gambling between the end of December 2005 and February What the researchers found 2007; (3) 680 subscribers who closed their account for The researchers first tested if lower-risk limits for other reasons during the same period. land-based gambling could predict harm from online The second dataset included two groups: (1) 1,845 gambling. The lower-risk limits for land-based customers who were flagged for potential problem gambling were: (1) frequency of 8 days or less per gambling by customer service; and (2) 1,762 month; (2) spending 53 Euros or less per month; and customers who were matched on demographics but (3) spending 1.7% or less of annual household income. These limits were taken from a previous study. The How you can use this research researchers found that exceeding these limits This study can inform policy makers, researchers, and predicted a positive screen on the BBGS. gambling operators. The researchers suggest further The researchers then developed lower-risk limits for evaluation of the lower-risk limits for online gambling. online gambling using data from bwin customers who About the researchers completed the brief survey. The new limits were: (1) frequency of 11 days or less per month; (2) wagering Eric R. Louderback, Debi A. LaPlante, and Sarah E. 167.97 Euros or less per month; (3) spending 6.71% or Nelson are affiliated with the Division on Addiction at less of annual household income; (4) losing 26.11 Cambridge Health Alliance in Massachusetts, USA. Euros or less per month; (5) varying daily amount Debi LaPlante and Sarah Nelson are also affiliated wagered by 35.14 Euros or less; and (6) betting with the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical trajectory showing an increase of no more than 0.065 School in Massachusetts, USA. Shawn R. Currie is Euros per day during the first 6 months of online affiliated with the Department of Psychology at the gambling. The researchers found that exceeding five University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. For more of the six limits predicted a positive screen on the information about this study, please contact Eric R. BBGS. The only exception was betting trajectory. Louderback at [email protected]. The researchers tested if the new limits could predict Citation four proxy measures of gambling problems, including Louderback, E. R., LaPlante, D. A., Currie, S. R., & setting a monthly deposit limit, self-excluding, closing Nelson, S. E. (2021). Developing and validating lower an account for reasons other than problem gambling, risk online gambling thresholds with actual bettor and being flagged for potential problem gambling by data from a major Internet gambling operator. customer service. The limit for percentage of Psychology of Addictive Behaviors. Advance online household income spent was strongest in predicting a publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/adb0000628 positive screen on the BBGS. However, it could not be tested for the four proxy measures because income Study funding was not available for the first two datasets. This study was supported by a research contract between the Division on Addiction and Entain (an Two other limits that showed strong promise were international gambling operator). the limits for wagering amount per month and variability in daily amount wagered. The limit for variability in daily amount wagered was able to About Gambling Research Exchange (GREO) predict all four proxy measures. The limit for wagering Gambling Research Exchange (GREO) has partnered amount per month was able to predict three proxy with the Knowledge Mobilization Unit at York measures except for setting a monthly deposit limit. University to produce Research Snapshots. GREO is an The next most promising limit was lost amount per independent knowledge translation and exchange month. People who exceeded this limit were more organization that aims to eliminate harm from likely to self-exclude or be flagged by customer gambling. Our goal is to support evidence-informed service. But, they were not more likely to set a decision making in safer gambling policies, standards, monthly deposit limit or to close their account. The and practices. The work we do is intended for limit for gambling frequency was able to predict researchers, policy makers, gambling regulators and setting a monthly deposit limit and closing one’s operators, and treatment and prevention service account. However, people who exceeded this limit providers. were less likely to limit their monthly deposits or to Learn more about GREO by visiting greo.ca or emailing close their account. [email protected]. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 International License. 2021 .