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What this research is about Online gambling is a type of gambling that players do What you need to know on the . The most popular online gambling In this study, the researchers investigated whether are poker and betting. Players can easily poker players remain gambling online or in land- access online gambling sites. Online gambling sites based venues over a two-year period. They also widely advertise their gambling games. Public recruited participants living in , . health authorities are worried about online gambling. Participants were 18 years of age or older, and bet Since online gambling is to easy access and has a lot of money on a poker in the past year. advertisements, more people may start playing Participants completed three questionnaires: one online. There is also a lack of evidence about what at the beginning of the study and two over the risky online gambling behaviour looks like. next two years. Many players remained gambling online or in land-based venues after two years. Evidence suggests that players who gamble online bet Only a few players switched from gambling online more money and gamble more often than players to land-based gambling. Poker players appeared to who gamble in land-based venues like . Players share common sociodemographic and mental who gamble online may drink more alcohol and use health characteristics, regardless of whether they drugs. They may also have more gambling problems. played poker online or in land-based venues. There are still many unanswered questions about Future research could investigate what motivates online gambling, especially regarding poker players. In poker players to gamble online or in venue. this study, the researchers investigated whether poker players remain gambling online or in land-based Participants completed these two questionnaires one venues over a two-year period. year apart. The questionnaires asked participants if What the researchers did they mainly played poker online or in land-based venues. They also assessed the number of different This study is part of a larger study. The researchers gambling activities participants played in the past year recruited 304 participants from 16 regions in Quebec, aside from poker. These activities might include lotto Canada using advertisements on , in tickets, , slot machines, and . newspapers, and in places where poker is played (e.g., casinos, bars). Participants thought of themselves as The researchers assessed the severity of participants’ poker players and had bet money on a poker game in gambling problems with the the past year. They were 18 years of age and older. Severity Index (PGSI). The Beck Anxiety Inventory The researchers followed participants for two years. (BAI) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) assessed participants for symptoms of anxiety and depression. Participants completed questionnaires over the phone The DEBA-Alcohol and DEBA-Drugs questionnaires or face-to-face. Participants did one questionnaire determined if participants were addicted to drugs and before they started the study. They also did two alcohol. The Eysenck Impulsiveness Questionnaire follow-up questionnaires over the next two years.

(EIQ) determined if participants were impulsive. About the researchers Impulsiveness is when a person acts without thinking Magali Dufour and Frédéric Dussault are affiliated about the consequences. The Inventaire des with the Department of Psychology at the Université croyances liées aux jeux (ICROLJ) assessed participants du Québec in Montréal, Québec, Canada. Adèle for illusion of control. Illusion of control is when Morvannou , Émélie Laverdière , Marc-Antoine Nolin , players think they can control the outcomes of a and Djamal Berbiche are affiliated with the Faculty of gambling game, even though gambling outcomes are Medicine and Health Sciences at the Université de based on chance. The researchers also collected Sherbrooke in Longueuil, Québec, Canada. Natacha demographic information from participants such as Brunelle is affiliated with the Department of their sex, age, and level. Psychoeducation at the Université du Québec in Trois- What the researchers found Rivières, Québec, Canada. Sylvia Kairouz is affiliated with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology Participants who played poker online (36.3%) at the at Concordia University in Montréal, Québec, Canada. start of the study, continued to play online after two Louise Nadeau is with the Department of Psychology years. Participants who played poker in land-based at the Université de Montréal in Québec, Canada. For venues (51.5%) at the start of the study continued to more information about this study, please contact play in land-based venues after two years. This finding Magali Dufour at [email protected] . suggests that poker players are likely to play on the same platform (i.e., online or in venue) over time. Citation

Only a small number of participants switched from Dufour, M., Morvannou, A., Laverdière, É., Brunelle, gambling online to gambling in land-based venues N., Kairouz, S., Nolin, M. A., ... Berbiche, D. (2020). (12.1%). There were no participants who switched Once , always online poker? Poker from playing poker in land-based venues to online. modality trajectories over two years. Addictive These findings suggest that online gambling’s easy Behaviors Reports. Advance online publication. access and do not seem to be enough to https://doi.org/10.1016/j.abrep.2020.100251 cause poker players to switch to online gambling. Study funding Participants who played poker online showed more This study was funded by Fonds de recherche du severe gambling problems than those who played in Québec – Société et Culture (FRQSC). venue. This finding suggests that online gambling is risky. Participants who played poker in land-based venues played a higher number of gambling activities About Gambling Research Exchange (GREO) overall, compared to participants who played poker Gambling Research Exchange (GREO) has partnered online. The researchers also found that poker players with the Knowledge Mobilization Unit at York seemed to share common sociodemographic and University to produce Research Snapshots. GREO is an mental health characteristics, regardless of whether independent knowledge translation and exchange they played poker online or in land-based venues. organization that aims to eliminate harm from gambling. Our goal is to support evidence-informed How you can use this research decision making in safer gambling policies, standards, Researchers can use this research to investigate what and practices. The work we do is intended for motivates players to gamble online or in land-based researchers, policy makers, gambling regulators and venues. Prevention service providers can use this operators, and treatment and prevention service research to support the delivery of prevention providers. programs on online poker websites. They can also consider the differences between poker players and Learn more about GREO by visiting greo.ca or emailing other gamblers when creating prevention programs. [email protected] .

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