Opportunities for video lottery terminal gambling in Montréal: an environmental analysis

Gender and trait rumination moderates the link between trait impulsivity and gambling problems severity in young adults

AIMS

Trait impulsivity and trait rumination appear to uniquely contribute to problem gambling. However, only a limited number of studies have investigated their relationship with each other, and no study has tested whether their interplay could explain problem gambling. In this study, we aimed to examine these associations, especially focusing on the putative moderator role of gender.

METHODS

The present study utilized data from the first wave of the Budapest Longitudinal Study, representatively surveying young adults. The final, weighted sample consisted of N = 1202 (649 men; mean age = 28.04 years; SD = 4.31) participants who reported gambling in the past year. Gambling severity was assessed by the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), trait impulsivity was measured by Barratt Impulsiveness Scale short form (BIS-R-10), while rumination was assessed by the short version of Ruminative Response Scale (RRS).

RESULTS

Multiple linear regression analysis showed significant positive association between impulsivity and problematic gambling, and we found that both trait rumination and gender moderated this association, even after controlling for depressed mood, age, level of education, and subjective relative wealth. For men, when the level of trait rumination was high, higher levels of trait impulsivity were associated with an increase in gambling problems. However, these associations were not found among women.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggested that the interplay of trait rumination and trait impulsivity might contribute to problem gambling, potentially by the impulsive desire to alleviate negative mood states. Our results also revealed that these associations could be stronger among men than in women.

Accessibility, neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage and expenditures on electronic gambling machines: a spatial analysis based on player account data

BACKGROUND

Gambling and its harmful effects on human health and well-being represent a significant public health concern in many countries, with electronic gambling machines (EGMs) recognized as one of the most detrimental forms of gambling. Previous research has established an association between EGM accessibility, expenditure, gambling harm, and the socioeconomic status (SES) of neighborhoods. However, there is limited understanding of the direct impact of SES and EGM accessibility on individual player expenditures. Prior estimations of expenditure often rely on self-reported data or venue-level revenue statistics. This study uses high spatial resolution socioeconomic data together with individual-level account-based location and expenditure (point of sales) data (71,669 players, 745 EGM venues) to explore the association between EGM accessibility and neighborhood SES and to examine whether the EGM expenditure of neighborhood residents is associated with EGM accessibility and neighborhood SES.

DATA AND METHODS

Player account data include information on the home location and expenditure of the entire EGM gambling population across every EGM venue located in the Helsinki region, Finland. High-resolution (250 × 250 m) grid-level data on socioeconomic variables were used to obtain the local socioeconomic conditions of the players. EGM accessibility was estimated for every grid cell using a calibrated gravity model derived from the player account data. Statistical analyses included correlation analysis, spatial autocorrelation analysis, and regression models.

RESULTS

First, significantly higher levels of EGM accessibility were found in areas with lower local SES. Second, regression analysis revealed that both higher EGM accessibility and lower local SES were associated with higher annual losses per adult. These results, in combination with visual and spatial autocorrelation analyses, revealed that accessibility to EGM gambling is highly concentrated, especially in lower socioeconomic neighborhoods with higher levels of EGM expenditure.

CONCLUSIONS

The results lay the groundwork for future spatial research on gambling harm, expenditure, accessibility, and SES utilizing detailed account data on the interaction between players and venues. The results underscore the importance of spatial restrictions when regulating EGM accessibility, particularly in areas with vulnerable populations, as a crucial measure for public health and harm prevention. The results also enable targeted gambling harm prevention actions at the local level.

Gambling Outlets Location in Urban Areas: A Case Study of Madrid

Cities are certainly a key factor in the location of gambling facilities. This paper aims to map the location of gambling outlets in urban areas and to examine potential links between neighborhoods socioeconomic and demographic characteristics and gambling supply, taking into account spatial dependencies of neighboring areas. This correlation is of interest because neighborhood characteristics may attract sellers, and because the presence of gambling sellers may cause changes in neighborhood demographics. Using detailed official data from the city of Madrid for the year 2017, three spatial econometric approaches are considered: spatial autoregressive (SAR) model, spatial error model (SEM) and spatial lag of X (explicative variables) model (SLX). Empirical analysis finds a strong correlation between neighborhoods characteristics and co-location of gambling outlets, highlighting a specific geographic patterning of distribution within more disadvantaged urban areas. This may have interesting implications for gambling stakeholders and for local governments when it comes to the introduction and/or increase of gambling availability.

Gaming in the Military: A Longitudinal Study of Changes in Gaming Behavior Among Conscripts During Military Service and Associated Risk Factors

A central task in military leadership is to take care of one's followers, which presupposes knowledge about relevant risk factors. Very little research has focused on the risks of developing problematic gaming behavior during military service. The present study tries to bridge this gap by assessing prevalence rates and associated risk factors of problem gaming in a sample of Norwegian conscripts across two time-points: at the beginning and end of duty. The sample comprised 2,555 individuals aged 18-24 years. A total of 1,017 (39.8%) completed the questionnaire at Time 1, ~1 month after starting the military service. Respondents who completed the first wave, at enrollment, were invited to participate in wave two, after completing their service. At Time 2, 259 (25.5%) participants responded. The prevalence rates of gaming addiction were 0.5% at Time 1 and 4.6% at Time 2, while problem gaming use was reported by 4.8% of the sample at Time 1 and 8.1% of the sample at Time 2. Paired sample t-tests revealed an overall significant increase in the mean scores on the Gaming Addiction Scale from T1 (M = 0.86, SD = 1.35) to T2 (M = 1.31, SD = 2.14), t = -2.40, p < 0.05. According to the reliable change index, 17.1% of the sample showed a reliable negative change, whereas 8.3% exhibited a reliable positive change in gaming addiction scores. However, no psychological variables measured at T1 (loneliness, boredom proneness-Internal, boredom proneness-External, anxiety, depression, game addiction, and time spent gaming) were related to attrition (from T1 to T2), or worsening of game addiction, while a positive relationship was observed between boredom proneness-External and reduced gaming addiction from T1 to T2. In sum, we observed a tendency toward a negative change in gaming behaviors during military service which may complicate the soldiers' reintegration into civilian life after their service. More research is needed to assess potential gaming problems in the Military.

Spatial distribution of gambling exposure and vulnerability: an ecological tool to support health inequality reduction

OBJECTIVES

Recent research by Public Health has redefined harmful gambling, shifting the focus from problematic people with irresponsible behaviour to 'gamblogenic' environments. The aim of this research was to support this alternative perspective with concrete ecological tools for characterizing harmful environments. Studies that analyse the spatial distribution of gambling show that people living in the most disadvantaged areas have greater access to gambling and are more affected by the harms of gambling. Despite their quality methodology and usefulness, the scope of geographic access measures has been partially limited. These measures have been mostly structured around a single form of gambling, focus on only one dimension of accessibility (density or proximity) and few of them take into account the risks associated with each type of the game. The main goal of our research was to propose an innovative method to characterize gambling environments in Quebec and address social inequality with respect to gambling exposure. This article more specifically describes the method we used to address the aforementioned shortcomings by developing the gambling exposure index (GEI), a more comprehensive ecological index of all games-weighted by their relative level of risk-to which populations are exposed.

STUDY DESIGN

The study design is a cross-sectional ecological study.

METHODS

The methodological approach was carried out in three stages. A GEI was operationalized and is composed of three dimensions: A dimension of spatial accessibility to gambling sites, a dimension of density of gambling places and a dimension of relative risk associated with different types of game. The two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) method was used to combine these three dimensions into an overall GEI index. Data were retrieved from a geocoded directory of all gambling sites from Loto-Québec and other commercial databases. The relative risk of each type of game has been expressed by prevalence rates for those specific games in a Quebec population prevalence survey. A vulnerability to gambling index (VGI) was produced based on 6 socio-economic proxies of problem gambling from the 2016 Canadian census. The six variables were weighted and aggregated at the dissemination area (DA) level. Spatial and descriptive statistical analyses were conducted to explore the relationship between VGI and GEI and to identify areas that are highly vulnerable and have a high gambling exposure.

RESULTS

The findings of our analysis reveal widespread geographic exposure to gambling and a significant positive linear relationship between the GEI and the VGI. In many areas, increased accessibility to gambling is significantly associated with a higher vulnerability to gambling. Our findings demonstrate that in 1328 DAs in Quebec, there is a particularly unequal and potentially harmful geographical distribution of gambling, exposing 9% of the population which are theoretically vulnerable to gambling to an increased presence of gambling.

CONCLUSION

This research applied a spatial analytical approach to assess the association between environments, gambling and vulnerability. The GEI and VGI at the DA level can serve as a monitoring tool for policy-makers regarding gambling exposure in the most vulnerable sectors and contribute to prevention and intervention strategies better adapted to the population. The general findings raise the ethical implications of increased marketing development in vulnerable neighbourhoods. As the GEI takes into account both the environmental determinants and the relative risk of games, it is in contributing to the shift in public and scientific discourse, redefining the subject from problematic people to problematic games and environments.

Examining community and consumer food environments for children: An urban-suburban-rural comparison in Southwestern Ontario

The aim of this study is to evaluate how retail food environments for children in the City of London and Middlesex County, Ontario, Canada, vary according to level of urbanicity and level of socioeconomic distress. Urbanicity in this study is defined as a neighbourhood's designation as urban, suburban, or rural. We assessed community food environments (e.g., the type, location, and accessibility of food outlets) using 800m and 1600m network buffers (school zones) around all public and private elementary schools, and we calculated and compared density of junk food opportunities (JFO) (e.g., fast food and full-service restaurants, grocery stores, and convenience stores) within each school zone in urban, suburban and rural settings. The study also assessed consumer food environments (e.g., the price, promotion, placement, and availability of healthy options and nutrition information) through restaurant children's menu audits using the Children's Menu Assessment tool. Results suggest JFO density is greater around elementary schools in areas with higher levels of socioeconomic distress and urbanicity, while urbanicity is also associated with greater use of branded marketing and inclusion of an unhealthy dessert on children's menus.

An Ecological Approach to Electronic Gambling Machines and Socioeconomic Deprivation in Germany

In Germany, gambling research has primarily focused on the broader population in prevalence studies, neglecting the importance and influence of the local socioeconomic context in the development and maintenance of gambling disorders. To analyze the interplay between contextual and compositional factors in the market for electronic gambling machines (EGMs) in Germany, we assessed the EGM densities and socioeconomic deprivation in 244 local communities within Baden-Wuerttemberg. Our results suggest that EGM density is statistically associated with 3 socioeconomic determinants: The shares of migrants, unemployed, and high-school-educated people in the communities are statistically significant variables in our linear regression model, whereas younger age, male gender, and marital status exhibit no statistical associations with EGM density. The share of unemployed people is the only variable of statistical and practical significance. Our analysis advocates area-based policy measures to minimize gambling-related harm. By decreasing EGM densities in communities with high levels of unemployment, we expect to protect at-risk population strata that are most vulnerable to gambling exposure.

Predictors of return rate discrimination in slot machine play

The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which accurate estimates of payback percentages and volatility combined with prior learning, enabled players to successfully discriminate between multi-line/multi-credit slot machines that provided differing rates of reinforcement. The aim was to determine if the capacity to discriminate structural characteristics of gaming machines influenced player choices in selecting 'favourite' slot machines. Slot machine gambling history, gambling beliefs and knowledge, impulsivity, illusions of control, and problem solving style were assessed in a sample of 48 first year undergraduate psychology students. Participants were subsequently exposed to a choice paradigm where they could freely select to play either of two concurrently presented PC-simulated slot machines programmed to randomly differ in expected player return rates (payback percentage) and win frequency (volatility). Results suggest that prior learning and cognitions (particularly gambler's fallacy) but not payback, were major contributors to the ability of a player to discriminate volatility between slot machines. Participants displayed a general tendency to discriminate payback, but counter-intuitively placed more bets on the slot machine with lower payback percentage rates.

Gaming machine density is correlated with rates of help-seeking for problem gambling: a local area analysis in Victoria, Australia

Local environment plays an important role in understanding gambling as a public health issue. This study uses help-seeking as an outcome measure for a local area analysis of problem gambling in Victoria, Australia. We used a cross-sectional ecological design to investigate the extent to which gaming industry and demographic, economic, and social factors are associated with rates of telephone and face-to-face counselling for problem gambling at the local government area level. Electronic gaming machine density was independently correlated with both types of help-seeking, with a range of local factors controlled. This study supports previous research that has consistently found an association between gaming machine density and problem gambling, using gaming machine expenditure as a proxy measure of harm. We build on previous work by confirming that this relationship exists when gambling harm is measured through two types of help-seeking.

An analysis of switching and non-switching slot machine player behaviour

Learning theory predicts that, given the repeated choice to bet between two concurrently available slot machines, gamblers will learn to bet more money on the machine with higher expected return (payback percentage) or higher win probability per spin (volatility). The purpose of this study was to investigate whether this occurs when the two machines vary orthogonally on payback percentage and volatility. The sample comprised 52 first year psychology students (mean age = 20.3 years, 20 females, 32 males) who had played a gaming machine at least once in the previous 12 months. Participants were administered a battery of questionnaires designed to assess level of knowledge on the characteristics and operation of poker machines, frequency of poker machine play in the past 12 months, personality traits of impulsivity and capacity for cognitive reflection, and gambling beliefs. For the experimental task, participants were instructed to play on two PC-simulated electronic gaming machines (EGMs or slot machines) that differed on payback percentage and volatility, with the option of freely switching between EGMs after a practice phase. Results indicated that participants were able to easily discriminate between machines and manifested a preference to play machines offering higher payback or volatility. These findings diverged from previous findings of no preference for play on higher payback/volatility machines, potentially due to of the current study's absence of the option to make multi-line and multi-credit bets. It was concluded that return rate parameters like payback percentage and volatility strongly influenced slot machine preference in the absence of betting options like multi-line bets, though more research is needed to determine the effects of such betting options on player distribution of money between multiple EGMs.

Physical accessibility of gaming opportunity and its relationship to gaming involvement and problem gambling: A systematic review

This paper presents the findings of a systematic search undertaken for the period January 1990 to June 2011 of references including original, empirical findings of the relationship between accessibility of electronic gaming machines and rates of gambling involvement, problem gambling, or gambling-related treatment seeking. Titles and abstracts of 2156 references were reviewed, yielding 39 references meeting inclusion criteria. The review has revealed that the relationships between the physical accessibility dimensions of proximity and density and gambling involvement and problem gambling are complex. Research is only beginning to elucidate these dimensions, and many questions and methodological challenges remain to be addressed. The strengths, limitations, and gaps in the literature are discussed, and recommendations are made for future research. Cet article présente les résultats d'une recherche documentaire systématique, effectuée entre janvier 1990 et juin 2011, incluant des résultats empiriques initiaux qui portaient sur la relation entre l'accessibilité aux appareils de jeu électroniques et les taux de participation au jeu, le jeu compulsif ou la recherche de traitement lié au jeu. On a étudié les titres et les résumés de 2 156 références, parmi lesquelles 39 correspondaient aux critères d'inclusion. Cette recherche a révélé la complexité des relations entre les dimensions d'accessibilité physique, c'est-à-dire la proximité et la densité d'une part, et la participation au jeu et le jeu compulsif d'autre part. La recherche commence à peine à élucider ces dimensions et de nombreuses questions et problèmes méthodologiques demeurent en suspens. L'article discute des forces, des limitations et des lacunes de la littérature spécialisée et formule des recommandations pour de futurs travaux de recherche.

Environmental influences associated with gambling in young adulthood

Social and environmental influences on gambling behavior are important to understand because localities can control the sanction and location of gambling opportunities. This study explores whether neighborhood disadvantage is associated with gambling among predominantly low-income, urban young adults and to explore if we can find differences in physical vs. compositional aspects of the neighborhood. Data are from a sample of 596 young adults interviewed when they were 21-22 years, who have been participating in a longitudinal study since entering first grade in nine public US Mid-Atlantic inner-city schools (88 % African Americans). Data were analyzed via factor analysis and logistic regression models. One third of the sample (n = 187) were past-year gamblers, 42 % of them gambled more than once a week, and 31 % had gambling-related problems. Those living in moderate and high disadvantaged neighborhoods were significantly more likely to be past-year gamblers than those living in low disadvantaged neighborhoods. Those living in high disadvantaged neighborhoods were ten times more likely than those living in low disadvantaged neighborhoods to have gambling problems. Factor analysis yielded a 2-factor model, an "inhabitant disadvantage factor" and a "surroundings disadvantage factor." Nearly 60 % of the sample lived in neighborhoods with high inhabitants disadvantage (n = 375) or high surroundings disadvantage (n = 356). High inhabitants disadvantage was associated with past-year frequent gambling (odds ratios (aOR) = 2.26 (1.01, 5.02)) and gambling problems (aOR = 2.81 (1.18, 6.69)). Higher neighborhood disadvantage, particularly aspects of the neighborhood concerning the inhabitants, was associated with gambling frequency and problems among young adult gamblers from an urban, low-income setting.

An application of the edge effect in measuring accessibility to multiple food retailer types in southwestern Ontario, Canada

BACKGROUND

Trends in food retailing associated with the consolidation of smaller-format retailers into fewer, larger-format supercentres have left some rural areas with fewer sources of nutritious, affordable food. Access to nutritious, affordable food is essential for good dietary habits and combating health issues such as type-2 diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. Many studies on food environments use inaccurate or incomplete methods for locating food retailers, which may be responsible for mischaracterising food deserts. This study uses databases of every residence in and every food retailer in and around Middlesex County, Ontario, Canada. Residences were geocoded to their precise address, and network analysis techniques were performed in a geographic information system (GIS) to determine distances between every residence and different types of food retailers (grocery stores, fast food, fruit and vegetable sources, grocery stores plus fruit and vegetable sources, variety stores), both when considering and neglecting facilities outside the area of study, to account for a deficiency in analysis termed the 'edge effect'.

RESULTS

Analysis of household accessibility to food outlets by neighbourhood socioeconomic distress level indicated that residents in the most distressed neighbourhoods tended to have better accessibility to all types of food retailers. In the most distressed neighbourhoods, 79 percent of residences were within walking distance of a grocery store, compared to only 10 percent in the least distressed neighbourhoods. When the edge effect was neglected, 37 percent of distance estimates proved inaccurate. Average accessibility to all food retailer types improved dramatically when food outlets adjacent to the study area were considered, thereby controlling for the edge effect.

CONCLUSION

By neglecting to consider food retailers just outside study area boundaries, previous studies may significantly over-report the actual distance necessary to travel for food. Research on food access spanning large rural regions requires methods that accurately geocode residents and their food sources. By implementing methods akin to those in this paper, future research will be better able to identify areas with poor food accessibility. Improving identification of food desert communities is a first step in facilitating more effective deployment of food policies and programs in those communities.

Does early emotional distress predict later child involvement in gambling?

OBJECTIVE

Younger people are engaging in gambling, with some showing excessive involvement. Although a consequence of gambling could be anxiety and depression, emotional distress could be a precursor to gambling involvement. This could reflect developmental proneness toward problem behaviour. We assessed whether early emotional distress directly influences later gambling or if it operates through an indirect pathway.

METHODS

Using a prospective longitudinal design, an intentional subsample of children from the 1999 kindergarten cohort of the Montreal Longitudinal Preschool Study (Quebec) from intact families were retraced in 2005 for follow-up in Grade 6. Consenting parents and children were separately interviewed. Key child variables and sources included kindergarten teacher ratings of emotional distress and impulsivity and self-reported parent and child gambling.

RESULTS

Higher levels of teacher-rated emotional distress in kindergarten significantly predicted a higher propensity toward later gambling behaviour. Impulsivity, a factor often comorbidly present with emotional distress, completely explained this predictive relation above and beyond potential child- and family-related confounds, including parental gambling.

CONCLUSIONS

Children with higher levels of emotional distress at kindergarten were more inclined toward child gambling behaviour in Grade 6. The influence of early emotional distress completely vanished when behaviours reflecting impulsivity were considered when predicting later child gambling behaviour. The relation between emotional distress and child gambling involvement in children was thus explained by its comorbidity with early impulsivity. This study does not rule out the possibility that emotional distress could become a correlate or consequence of excessive involvement in gambling activities at a later developmental period.

The geography of diabetes in London, Canada: the need for local level policy for prevention and management

Recent reports aimed at improving diabetes care in socially disadvantaged populations suggest that interventions must be tailored to meet the unique needs of the local community—specifically, the community’s geography. We have examined the spatial distribution of diabetes in the context of socioeconomic determinants of health in London (Ontario, Canada) to characterize neighbourhoods in an effort to target these neighbourhoods for local level community-based program planning and intervention. Multivariate spatial-statistical techniques and geographic information systems were used to examine diabetes rates and socioeconomic variables aggregated at the census tract level. Creation of a deprivation index facilitated investigation across multiple determinants of health. Findings from our research identified ‘at risk’ neighbourhoods in London with socioeconomic disadvantage and high diabetes. Future endeavours must continue to identify local level trends in order to support policy development, resource planning and care for improved health outcomes and improved equity in access to care across geographic regions.

Gambling as a public health issue: The critical role of the local environment

This paper discusses gambling as a public health concern and outlines why local circumstances are central to such concerns. Using the framework of compositional and contextual factors to frame discussions, it is argued that the local circumstances of individuals and communities are critical to whether gambling activity is problematic. Unlike other similar public health issues for which there are clear parameters defining what is a problem and how severe the problem is, it is argued here that gambling-related problems are determined almost entirely by the circumstances in which the activity is occurring. As such, strategies designed to prevent or minimise gambling-related problems should target the local contextual environment and not just focus on the gamblers themselves, as has tended to occur to date.

Exploring obesogenic food environments in Edmonton, Canada: the association between socioeconomic factors and fast-food outlet access

PURPOSE

To explore the relationship between the placement of fast-food outlets and neighborhood-level socioeconomic variables by determining if indicators of lower socioeconomic status were predictive of exposure to fast food.

DESIGN

A descriptive analysis of the fast-food environment in a Canadian urban center, using secondary analysis of census data and Geographic Information Systems technology.

SETTING

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

MEASURES

Neighborhoods were classified as High, Medium, or Low Access based on the number of fast-food opportunities available to them. Neighborhood-level socioeconomic data (income, education, employment, immigration status, and housing tenure) from the 2001 Statistics Canada federal census were obtained.

ANALYSIS

A discriminant function analysis was used to determine if any association existed between neighborhood demographic characteristics and accessibility of fast-food outlets.

RESULTS

Significant differences were found between the three levels of fast-food accessibility across the socioeconomic variables, with successively greater percentages of unemployment, low income, and renters in neighborhoods with increasingly greater access to fast-food restaurants. A high score on several of these variables was predictive of greater access to fast-food restaurants.

CONCLUSION

Although a causal inference is not possible, these results suggest that the distribution of fast-food outlets relative to neighborhood-level socioeconomic status requires further attention in the process of explaining the increased rates of obesity observed in relatively deprived populations.

Gambling as a Search for Justice: Examining the Role of Personal Relative Deprivation in Gambling Urges and Gambling Behavior

The present article explores the hypothesis that gambling might serve a justice-seeking function for some people, as gambling might offer a means to pursuing desirable outcomes that people feel they deserve but might be unable or unwilling to attain through conventional means. In Study 1, across two separate samples, self-reports of personal relative deprivation predict problem gambling and gambling urges over and above relevant control variables. In Study 2, the authors manipulate personal relative deprivation by informing participants that they have either less or more discretionary income than “similar others.” They then give participants $20 and the opportunity to gamble. The results show that a greater percentage of participants who are “relatively deprived” (vs. “not relatively deprived”) opt to gamble. Two manipulation validation studies demonstrate that the “relatively deprived” participants are preoccupied with justice during a modified Stroop task and feel resentful. Implications for understanding why people gamble are discussed.

Parameters for safer gambling behavior: examining the empirical research

There have been claims that new gambling technology is hazardous to player health, and that technological interventions can alleviate gambling-related harm. In this paper, we systematically review the empirical research about the nexus between gambling and technology to evaluate the veracity of these claims. We use a public health perspective (i.e., the Epidemiologic Triangle) to organize and present study results (i.e., agent, host, and environment). This review intends to offer insight about emerging technology and identify areas that indicate a need for additional research. Forty-seven studies met our inclusion and exclusion criteria; a review of this body of work shows that attempts to develop and implement safety features for new gambling technology are promising, but methodologically are rudimentary and limited in scope. Increased attention to the dynamic interaction among host, agent, and environment factors hold potential to advance the field. In addition, improved study methods (e.g., longitudinal analyses of actual betting behavior), and collaboration among policymakers, manufacturers, and researchers can increase understanding of how new gambling technology affects the public health and stimulate new strategies for implementing effective public health interventions.

Harm Reduction and electronic gambling machines: does this pair make a happy couple or is divorce foreseen?

Recent empirical studies have evaluated if modifying electronic gambling machine (EGM) structural features could encourage safer gambling behaviors and decrease gambling-related problems. Several of these studies refer to Harm Reduction (HR), suggesting that the HR paradigm is useful to design, implement and test the efficacy of various prevention and treatment programs applied to EGM users. After reviewing the origins of HR and specifying its operational definition, this paper discusses the relevance of the HR framework for the study of measures related to EGM use and gambling in general. Examples are given to illustrate the arguments. The results show that HR has been over-inclusive in the field of gambling. A specific and operational definition and application of the HR framework is required for HR to be useful for the advancement of research in the gambling field.

Mapping the prevalence of problem gambling and its association with treatment accessibility and proximity to gambling venues

This study examined geographic variation in the prevalence of problem gambling in Ontario and the association with various demographic factors and proximity to treatment for problem gambling and gambling venues. Drawing upon multiple sources, secondary data analysis was undertaken based on multivariate statistical methods and techniques of geographic information systems (GIS). Regional variation in prevalence of problem gambling was found in the province. P revalence of problem gambling was associated with many demographic characteristics, as well as mental disorders, co-occurring substance abuse problems, and physical health status. Geographic access to treatment was not associated with the risk of being a problem gambler. However, proximity to gambling venues was marginally important in predicting risk of problem gambling. Results are interpreted in the context of needs-based planning of treatment and prevention programs for problem gambling.

Video lottery terminal access and gambling among high school students in Montréal

BACKGROUND

Gambling is a risky behaviour that involves uncertain financial outcomes, can be addictive, and has been associated with strongly adverse social and public health outcomes. We wanted to assess whether socio-economic and gambling-related-opportunity environments of neighbourhoods affected the uptake of video lottery terminal (VLT) gambling among Montréal youth.

METHODS

Spatial and statistical analyses were conducted to examine geographical patterns of neighbourhood socio-economic conditions, VLT sites (n=407), and high school locations (n=305) within the Montréal Census Metropolitan Area (CMA). VLT concentration within high school neighbourhoods was measured to examine how the number of VLT opportunities varies according to socio-economic status of the school neighbourhood. A student survey was analyzed using logistic regression analysis to explore the role of individual (student) characteristics and environmental (neighbourhood) characteristics in predicting the VLT gambling behaviours reported among a sample (n=1206) of high school students.

RESULTS

Video lottery gambling opportunities are more prevalent near schools located in socio-economically deprived neighbourhoods compared with schools located in more affluent neighbourhoods. The principal individual risk factors for VLT gambling were shown to be male sex, peer VLT-use, substance use, as well as the after-school routines of youth.

INTERPRETATION

The spatial distribution of VLTs reflects local geographies of socio-economic disadvantage and may have a pronounced impact on students attending schools in lower income neighbourhoods, especially those with individual risk factors. Efforts to reduce gambling-related public health costs may want to take into account the socio-spatial distribution of gambling opportunities, particularly in the local environments that youth frequent.

La construction d’un problème social en pathologie

Si le gambling a toujours fait partie de la condition humaine, l’engouement actuel envers ce type d’activité dépasse l’entendement social. Ce qui était auparavant considéré comme un péché, un vice, un comportement déviant et une industrie hors-la-loi, est aujourd’hui compris comme une maladie, une pathologie psychiatrique teintée d’une perte de contrôle et d’un désordre d’impulsion. Quels sont les fondements scientifiques entourant ce type de discours dominant en Amérique du Nord ? Devant cette question de fond, nous nous proposons de faire un tour d’horizon de ce problème social complexe. Ne prétendant pas couvrir l’ensemble des facettes entourant ce phénomène, nous nous restreindrons à effectuer un survol de deux déterminants majeurs, soit les repères historiques et sociaux et la place prépondérante de l’individualisme comme fondement idéologique du discours axé sur la « pathologie du gambling ». En privilégiant une analyse psychosociale critique axée sur les marqueurs historiques et sociaux, nous espérons contribuer à l’avancement du débat sur cette question complexe que représentent les jeux de hasard et d’argent.