Gambling problems amongst the CALD population of Australia: hidden, visible or not a problem?

Factors Influencing Gambling Behavior Among Employees in Macau Gambling Industry

Casino staff of the gambling industry seem to have a higher risk of pathological gambling than the general public because they share many previously identified risk factors, such as easy access to gambling activities. The studies in western countries reported casino staff have a higher prevalence of problematic gambling than the general public. However, some studies in Macau revealed gambling behavior among casino staff is not more common than among other residents there. A quantitative study was conducted with employees of Macau's casinos (N = 714) to understand gambling behavior among casino staff. Structural equation modeling was developed with time spent on gambling as a dependent variable, and awareness of responsible gambling, sensation-seeking tendency, psychological distress, demographic factors, peer/family pressure against gambling, and perception of expected rewards as independent variables. T-test, ANOVA, and correlations were computed for analyzing the obtained data. The structural equation modelling with the time spent on gambling as a dependent variable showed an acceptable model fit (The Chi-square = 5.567, Probability level = .696, CMIN/DF 0.696; NFI = 0.976; NNFI = 1.072; CFI = 1.000; RMSEA = 0.000). Psychological distress, sensation-seeking tendency, peer/family pressure against gambling all have significant effects on time spent on gambling. Perception of expected rewards showed the highest R square in the structural equation modeling and accounted for 77.9% cases of variance for the time spent on gambling. It is predicted that protective factors against pathological gambling include prohibition of gambling in the working venue, a satisfactory salary, and exposure to negative impacts of gambling via their job duties. Given that a high proportion of staff share most risk factors and less than 30% of respondents participated in gambling in the past year, further exploration of the protective factors from casino employees' point of view and further research on casino workers' "expected rewards" are recommended to generate ideas for improving the effectiveness of responsible gambling campaigns in future.

Gambling Interventions in Indigenous Communities, from Theory to Practice: A Rapid Qualitative Review of the Literature

Indigenous populations globally experience problem gambling at higher rates than mainstream communities, often leading to adverse outcomes in social, cultural, and health domains (The term 'indigenous' within this paper refers to all first nations people from the specified countries. When capitalised, this refers to Australian Indigenous people specifically.). Problem gambling in indigenous communities has been linked to relative poverty and social disadvantage. The sweeping impacts of problem gambling for indigenous communities are holistic in nature and are felt throughout many aspects of the community, including the local economy, education, employment, and cultural kinship obligations. The social links inherent in many gambling activities in addition to the motivations of players and complex socio-cultural milieu can make it very difficult to renounce the practice. This paper aims to evaluate the indigenous gambling literature to discern appropriate and effective principles to guide intervention development in the context of problem gambling pertaining to the Australian Indigenous population. A rapid review will be undertaken to gather, analyse, and interpret appropriate theoretical and empirical literature relating to gambling interventions for indigenous populations. Papers from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and U.S.A (CANZUS) will be considered in the review and thematic analysis will be undertaken to ascertain a broad understanding of effective and appropriate problem gambling intervention principles applicable to these population groups. Despite the relative dearth of empirical evidence within this field, approaches to problem gambling intervention within indigenous populations must be culturally-centred and underpinned by a public health framework that considers the broad socio-politico-cultural context of the whole community. The importance of community-control, collaboration, community capacity building, workforce competence, a holistic approach, and gambling regulation cannot be overstated. The available literature focusses on an alternative approach to addressing problem gambling in indigenous communities, with much of the findings highlighting key indigenist principles within a context-based method of engagement and intervention, including addressing the social, political, and cultural determinants of problem gambling at a community-level.

How Do People With Intellectual Disability Engage With and Understand Gambling? A Qualitative Study of Adults in Victoria, Australia

Objective: This study aimed to understand the factors that may influence how and why people with intellectual disability may engage in gambling.

Method: Nineteen people with intellectual disability were recruited from a disability advocacy organization and participated in face to face, semi-structured qualitative interviews. Open ended questions were used to explore participants' gambling participation, recall of, and attitudes toward, different gambling products, understanding of gambling harm, and awareness of responsible gambling messages.

Results: All participants could remember gambling in their lifetime and some participants had recently engaged in gambling. Many participants were aware of different gambling products, and a few participants could describe in detail the technical aspects of electronic gambling machines. Most participants did not specifically recall seeing gambling harm minimization messages, however some described engaging in individual responsibility measures, such as limits and control, as they perceived this reduced the risks of experiencing harm.

Conclusions: People with intellectual disability are engaging with gambling products in a similar way to the general community. Therefore, it is important to understand the different pathways that may lead people with intellectual disability to initiate and continue gambling and to ensure that they are aware of and protected from the potential risk.

Implications for Public Health: Policy makers and practitioners should seek to understand and implement a range of strategies to reduce and prevent the harms associated with particular gambling products and environments for this population sub-group.

Acceptability of Internet-based interventions for problem gambling: a qualitative study of focus groups with clients and clinicians

Background

Although Internet-based interventions (IBIs) have been around for two decades, uptake has been slow. Increasing the acceptability of IBIs among end users may increase uptake. In this study, we explored the factors that shape acceptability of IBIs for problem gambling from the perspective of clients and clinicians. Findings from this qualitative study of focus groups informed the design and implementation of an IBI for problem gambling.

Methods

Using a semi-structured interview guide, we conducted three focus groups with clients experiencing gambling problems (total n = 13) and two with clinicians providing problem gambling treatment (total n = 21). Focus groups were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using a two-part inductive-deductive approach to thematic analysis.

Results

Although both user groups reported similar experiences, each group also had unique concerns. Clinician perspectives were more homogeneous reflective of healthcare professionals sharing the same practice and values. Clinicians were more concerned about issues relating to the dissemination of IBIs into clinical settings, including the development of policies and protocols and the implications of IBIs on the therapeutic relationship. In comparison, client narratives were more heterogeneous descriptive of diverse experiences and individual preferences, such as the availability of services on a 24-h basis. There was consensus among clients and clinicians on common factors influencing acceptability: access, usability, high quality technology, privacy and security, and the value of professional guidance.

Conclusions

Acceptability is an important factor in the overall effectiveness of IBIs. Gaining an understanding of how end users perceive IBIs and why they choose to use IBIs can be instrumental in the successful and meaningful design, implementation, and evaluation of IBIs.

Bread, milk and a Tattslotto ticket: the interpretive repertoires of young adult gambling in Australia

The discourse of Australian young adults who gamble regularly was analysed to explore key dilemmas and challenges of a generation who grew up with the positive and negative impacts of gambling advertisements. Qualitative interviews of seven young recreational gamblers who regularly frequent gaming machine venues were conducted. The discourse that they used to describe their gambling involvement, motivation, development and subjective views were analysed and three central repertoires: 'Culture not self,' 'If it makes you happy,' and 'No problem here!' were identified. The current findings demonstrate the participants' attempts to understand and legitimise their gambling. Further, it was suggested that young adults face a series of dilemmas when deciding whether to gamble and to what extent they gamble. Their discourse highlights the tension between individual agency, societal expectations and familial influence. The respondents primarily gambled for social reasons in a manner which they perceived as culturally acceptable. The importance of harm minimization and public awareness campaigns directed at young adults was also discussed.

The experience of recovering gamblers in Malaysia: a phenomenological study

Understanding the problem gambling recovery process is essential in the development of effective prevention and treatment programs. Existing empirical studies have examined the determinants and treatment of gambling behaviour but little research has investigated the experiences of Asian gamblers and their perceptions of gambling impact on family and significant others. This study utilizes a phenomenological approach to examine the experiences of ten gamblers who were enrolled in a gambling recovery program. Data analyses on qualitative interview sessions revealed four main themes comprising meaning of gambling, beliefs about gambling, perception of themselves (gamblers), family and significant others, and factors associated with the cessation of gambling behaviour. Within each theme, there are interrelated sub-themes that will be discussed within the study. In sum, the common factors that were evident are the importance of the gambler’s motivation to quit gambling and also their family’s support in the recovery process. Suggestions and implications for treatment and recovery are discussed.