Proximal and Distal Risk Factors for Gambling Problems Specifically Associated with Electronic Gaming Machines

Effect of pachinko parlour openings and closings on neighbourhood income-generating crimes in Japan: 6.5 years of observations

BACKGROUND

Electronic gambling machines (EGMs) in gambling venues cause gambling-related harm and are a public health concern. This study focused on pachinko parlours as gambling venues and income-generating crimes as gambling-related harm. We aimed to verify whether income-generating crime rates increase in proximity to pachinko parlours and during the opening and post-closing periods of pachinko parlours relative to the pre-opening periods.

METHODS

We used crime records spanning 6.5 years, including data on the opening and closing days of pachinko parlours for 6.5 years. We also sampled the addresses of convenience stores, bowling alleys, and households with official land prices all over Japan. The dependent variable was the daily income-generating crime incidence rate. Areas within 0.5 km, 0.5-1 km, 1-5 km, and 5-10 km radii of the pachinko parlours were the independent variables. The pre-, opening-, and post-closing periods of the pachinko parlours were also independent variables. The covariates included the number of convenience stores and always open pachinko parlours near pachinko parlours. Data were analysed using an analysis of variance (ANOVA) and covariance (ANCOVA). We also used differences-in-differences analysis (DD) to reveal the increase in income-generating crime rates in neighbourhoods exposed to the opening or closing of pachinko parlours.

RESULTS

The daily income-generating crime incidence rate was significantly higher in areas within 0.5-1 km and 1-5 km radii of pachinko parlours than in those within 0.5 km and 5-10 km radii of them. The daily income-generating crime incidence rate was also significantly higher during the opening and post-closing periods than during the pre-opening period, even when controlling for the number of convenience stores and always open pachinko parlours. In particular, fraud crime rates increased with the opening and closing of pachinko parlours.

CONCLUSIONS

The highest income-generating crime incidence rate was observed within a 0.5-1 km and 1-5 km radius of pachinko parlours. The opening of pachinko parlours also increased income-generating crime incidence rates, which increased after closing. Pachinko parlours are considered to be creating public harm because the corporate activities of these parlours make the youth in their neighbourhood perpetrators of fraud and older adults its victims. Future research should examine the current findings using official crime records.

Role of Motivation in the Progression of Problem Gambling: A Comparison of Early and Late Adults

Motivation plays a dominant role in gambling progression. Most studies using motivational scales have revealed that certain motivations are associated with problem gambling. However, age differences were found to be negligible in gambling motivation. This study aimed to examine the role of motivation associated with age differences in problem gambling in Japan. A total of 160 participants over 20 years of age who had gambled within the past six months were randomly recruited from web monitors. In this study, the Japanese version of the modified Gambling Motivation Scale (J-MGMS) was used which comprises six systematic factors: intellectual challenge, excitement, socialization (coping and sociability), social recognition, monetary gain, and amotivation. The Japanese version of the South Oaks Gambling Screening (J-SOGS) was used to assess participants' gambling-related problems. Demographic data, such as gambling frequency, were solicited. Using linear regression analysis, amotivation in all participants, social recognition in early adults (under 30), and amotivation in late adults (30 or over) were associated with J-SOGS scores (adjusted R2 = 0.170, 0.290, 0.156). Among late adults, social recognition was nearly significant, although negative (p = 0.0503). 1) Self-determinant (autonomous) motivations such as excitement and socialization do not contribute to the progression of problem gambling. 2) Two non-self-determinant (non-autonomous) motivations, social recognition in early adults and amotivation in late adults, are predictors of problem gambling. 3) Social recognition is a dichotomic and paradoxical motivation in the progress of problem gambling according to age.

Exploring Socioeconomic, Demographic and Psychological Predictors of At-risk Gambling and Participation in Specific Gambling Activities: A Comparative Approach

In this research, we aimed to provide a comparative examination of at-risk gambling and four types of gambling activities from the standpoint of socioeconomic, demographic and psychological factors. Using data collected from 7,385 adults aged 18-64 from Serbia, we investigated how specific variables contribute to the likelihood of participation in lottery playing, sports betting, casino games, and slot games across the three time frames (lifetime, last year, and last month), and at-risk gambling. Logistic regressions revealed that male sex, ages 18 to 34, drug use, harmful alcohol use, and elevated levels of distress were significant predictors of participation in any point of life in sports betting, casino games, and slot games, and at-risk gambling. Secondary education, residing in an urban area, and harmful alcohol use predicted - across three time frames - the engagement in lottery playing, sports betting, and slot games playing, respectively. Smoking, and specifically heavy smoking, was shown to be predictive of lifetime participation in all types of gambling, while having single marital status and being unemployed emerged as the factors increasing the odds for the last-month slot games playing. Notably, the 18 to 24 age cohort turned out to be the most vulnerable part of the population, as they displayed the largest odds for at-risk gambling, and both lifetime and last-year involvement in sports betting, casino games, and slot games playing. This highlights the necessity of targeted public health interventions for the young adult population and people who experiment or already experience problems related to substance use.

Risk Factors for Gambling Disorder: A Systematic Review

Gambling disorder is a common and problematic behavioral disorder associated with depression, substance abuse, domestic violence, bankruptcy, and high suicide rates. In the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), pathological gambling was renamed "gambling disorder" and moved to the Substance-Related and Addiction Disorders chapter to acknowledge that research suggests that pathological gambling and alcohol and drug addiction are related. Therefore, this paper provides a systematic review of risk factors for gambling disorder. Systematic searches of EBSCO, PubMed, and Web of Science identified 33 records that met study inclusion criteria. A revised study acknowledges as risk factors for developing/maintaining a gambling disorder being a single young male, or married for less than 5 years, living alone, having a poor education, and struggling financially.

Prediction of problem gambling by demographics, gaming behavior and psychological correlates among gacha gamers: A cross-sectional online survey in Chinese young adults

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study is to explore the association of problem gambling with demographics, psychological distress, and gaming behavior in young adult gacha gamers in Hong Kong.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Cross-sectional data was collected in the first and fifth waves of COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong online. Participants who aged 18-25 years and had been playing gacha games over the past 12 months were recruited. Stepwise multiple regression was used to explore the association among risk of problem gambling, gaming behavior, participation in gaming activities and psychological distress. A two-sided p-value <0.05 was considered as statistical significance.

RESULTS

Three hundred and thirty-seven completed questionnaires were received with no missing data. 34.7% (n = 117) of the participants had non/low-risk of problem gambling. About 40% (n = 136) of them had moderate-risk and the remaining 25% (n = 84) were at high risk of problem gambling. A higher proportion of female participants (78.6%) were found in high-risk group as compared to 39.7% and 55.6% only in the non/low-risk and moderate-risk groups, respectively. The regression model (R ² = 0.513, F = 71.895, p < 0.001) showed that 51.3% of the variance of the total problem gambling score could be explained by stress, anxiety, monthly expenses on gacha purchases, number of motives for gacha purchase and number of gambling activities engaged.

CONCLUSION

The present study provides empirical evidence to support the association between problem gambling and microtransaction especially for gacha which is the most popular type of video game microtransaction in Asia. The established regression model suggests that gacha gamers with higher risk of problem gambling tend to have greater stress, higher anxiety level, spend more on gacha purchase, have more motives for gacha purchases and engage in more gambling activities. In contrast to the extant literature, higher proportion of female participants in high-risk group indicates that female gacha gamers are also at very high risk of becoming problem gamblers.

Risk and protective factors for the development of gambling-related harms and problems among Australian sexual minority men

Background

Sexual minority men (SMM) often experience stressful social environments dominated by stigma and discrimination. SMM are typically more likely than heterosexual men to engage in certain risky behaviours such as problem gambling. This study aimed to compare gambling behaviour among SMM and examine potential risk factors (erroneous gambling cognitions, gambling outcome expectancies, hazardous alcohol use, impulsivity, and psychological distress; as well as perceived stigma and discrimination for the SMM participants) and potential protective factors (resilience, social support, and community connectedness) for problem gambling severity and gambling-related harms among SMM living in Australia.

Methods

An online survey, with an over-representation of SMM participants and problem, moderate-risk, and low-risk gamblers, was completed by 101 SMM (mean age = 28.5) and 207 heterosexual men (mean age = 26.4).

Results

SMM were found to have significantly lower levels of problem gambling severity compared with heterosexual men, and report significantly lower gambling participation, frequencies and expenditure on any gambling activity, casino table games, horse racing/greyhound betting, sports betting, and keno. However, in the SMM group, 38.3% were classified in the problem gambling category of the Problem Gambling Severity Index and 27.6% were classified in the moderate-risk gambling category. There were no significant differences between groups in gambling-related harms. Multiple regression analyses revealed that problem gambling severity and related harms were independently predicted by higher levels of impulsivity and erroneous gambling cognitions for both groups.

Conclusions

Lower frequency of gambling behaviours among SMM and similar risk factors predicting problem gambling severity/harms for both groups suggests that problem gambling is not pronounced among SMM. This study adds new evidence to the gambling literature which can be used as comparative benchmarks for future research.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40359-021-00597-4.

Concurrent Disorders and Decision-Making in Electronic Gaming Machine Gamblers

This study aimed to investigate the self-reported measures of concurrent disorders (stress, social anxiety, anxiety, depression and alcohol use) among electronic gaming machine (EGM) gamblers with varying levels of gambling severity and to examine its relationship to decision-making. This cross-sectional study in New Zealand involved an online survey that utilised validated questionnaires to assess self-reported measures of concurrent disorders and the Iowa gambling task (IGT) to analyse decision-making. The study comprised of active EGM gamblers (n = 153) who were divided into two groups: non-problem gambling (NPG, n = 71) and problem gambling (PG, n = 82) based on the cut-off point of the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS). Multiple logistic regression models were performed to analyse co-occurring disorders separately and simultaneously, and a log-linear model was developed to define the associations between significant variables. The first model showed a strong correlation between gambling severity and measures for depression (p < 0.01), anxiety (p < 0.05), stress (p < 0.05) and alcohol use (p < 0.01), however only depression (p < 0.05) and alcohol use (p < 0.01) remained significant in the second model. Further, no association between social anxiety scores and problem gambling was found in this sample of EGM gamblers in both models. On the IGT, EGM gamblers in the PG group performed significantly worse. Further, the presence of poor decision-making was more pronounced with higher depression scores (p < 0.01) across both NPG and PG groups and higher alcohol use scores (p < 0.05) scores in the PG group. The presence of high levels of co-occurring disorders and its link to poor decision-making are important considerations in the treatment paradigm of EGM problem gamblers.

Financial Literacy and Gambling Behavior in the United States

Problem gambling is becoming a growing concern in the United States because of the proliferation of, and state support for, gambling opportunities. The economic cost along with the physical and mental health problems associated with problem gambling make it necessary to study how problem gambling can be reduced. Our study examines whether financial literacy could be a means to reducing gambling frequency in the United States. We use data from the Preference Parameter Study of Osaka University, Japan, and apply instrumental variable probit regression models. The results show that, generally, financial literacy does not have a relationship with gambling frequency, but the relationship is significant in the states where electronic gambling machines (EGMs) are available. The results imply that gamblers are irrational and fail to assess the risks of gambling as well as the probabilities that maximize expected payoffs. It appears that gamblers' psychological gain from gambling outweighs the negative expected utility when there is easy access to gambling. Thus, rationality with regard to gambling decisions does not work unless the easy access to EGMs is controlled. Our results further show that males, older people, people with higher household income, and people who have easy access to gambling are likely to be frequent gamblers.