To understand how and why gamblers gamble, we must know how and why all games were created.
Date: 2003
Source: Discovered magazine
Author: Clifford Nass
Nass begins by stating that games are created to meet three needs: the need to have fun, the need to learn, and the need to deceive. Games are created so that players can have fun while learning skills necessary to function in the real world (e.g., Monopoly teaches money management), and they are created to help people learn things in a risk-free, nonthreatening environment (e.g., pilot trainees first learned to fly in simulated flights within a game). Games also help people deceive themselves and others. For example, athletes use visualization techniques; they imagine themselves performing (i.e., playing a game) in their mind. This helps them perfect their performance because when they actually perform, it feels as though they're simply daydreaming - doing nothing more strenuous than playing a game in their head. As Nass points out, however, "The most engaging games are those that combine all three of these elements: They're entertaining, they teach you something, and they let you fool yourself."
Poker Welcome Bonus Review - Is It Worth Claiming in 2023?Date: 1997
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies
Authors: Natasha Schull and Jon R. Hanson
These authors explored slot-machine gambling and identified three 'design features' that keep players engaged and contribute to problem gambling:
- The machines' 'ne Near-miss outcomes - outcomes that narrowly fail to produce a winning combination - can be especially compelling because they provide strong evidence that with just a little more luck, the player will win big. Furthermore, near misses allow players to tell themselves a plausible story about how they almost won, which helps maintain their optimism and keep them gambling.'
- Slot-machine designers use sound effects and other audiovisual techniques to increase players' arousal, which makes the experience more pleasurable. Players learn to associate this pleasurable arousal with gambling, and come to crave it.
- The buttons on modern slot machines allow players to control the speed of the game. Faster play increases arousal, making the experience more pleasurable. In addition, faster play allows players to diminish the duration of losing streaks and to immediately put their money back into play, thus reducing the cognitive dissonance produced by losing.
Date: 2002
Source: University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Author: Michael A. Littman
Littman studied video gaming and found that video games share many of the same characteristics as gambling and can be every bit as addictive as gambling:
- Both video games and gambling are typically playedoccasionally and in binge sessions.
- Both offer immediate feedback.
- Both offer variable ratio reinforcement (occasional big rewards interspersed with occasional small rewards interspersed with periods of no reward), which is the most effective (addictive) schedule of reinforcement.
- Both activate the brain's reward system (nucleus accumbens).
- Both can lead to tolerance (players must spend more time or money to achieve the same level of excitement).
- Both can lead to withdrawal (restless or irritable mood when access is denied).
- Both can lead to lack of control (urge to repeat the behavior despite knowledge of negative consequences).
A person can become addicted to any video game, but games that most readily resemble gambling are those in which the player is promised victory if only he or she tries again (just as a gambler is convinced that the next roll, spin, or deal will be the lucky one).
Date: October 2004
Source: Academic Minute, wvxradio.com
Casinos That Went Bankrupt - The Dark Side of Gambling IndustryAuthor: Natasha Schull
After conducting research for her 1997 study of slot machine design and their effect on the player (see above), Schull became interested in the social aspect of slot-machine gambling. She spent several months observing and interviewing mostly working-class, mostly women slot machine players at low-stakes machines in several Las Vegas casinos. These players viewed their slot-machine time as time spent with a sympathetic listener. The players told the machine (and the researchers) their life stories, including details they kept from their spouses and children. The players formed emotional attachments to particular slots, becoming angry if someone took away their machine, and felt a sense of companionship and social connection even though they knew the machine wasn't really listening. Moreover, many of these players reported that their slot-machine time gave them the opportunity to think about the problems in their lives without having to make decisions or implement solutions - a respite rather than a form of escape. Some saw the unpredictable outcomes and small wins and losses as a kind of lesson - "the casino was my university," as one put it.
Date: May 2005
Source: CyberPsychology & Behavior
Authors: Jennifer L. Faust, Brian D. Primack, and Nicholas Chang
These researchers point out that excessive online gambling, like other addictive behaviors, is a public health concern, and yet, little is known about the demographics, psychosocial factors, and gambling characteristics associated with Internet Gambling Disorder (IGD). To address this issue, they had 1,746 individuals complete anonymous online questionnaires. Respondents ranged in age from 18 to 88 years (average age = 33.22); 59% were female; 59% were single; 31% had less than a four-year college education; 51% had annual incomes under $25,000; and 61% lived in households with incomes under $25,000. Participants were asked whether they had ever gambled on line and, if so, how often they had gammeled and whether they had experienced IGD symptoms during the past year. They were also asked about offline gambling and a variety of psychosocial issues. Results indicated that 57% of respondents had gambled online, with an average of 6.4 hours per week spent gambling online. Of those who had gambled online, 14.1% met the criteria for IGD during the previous year; another 17.1% showed some, but not enough, symptoms of IGD. Among the total sample (all online respondents, whether or not they had gambled online), 16.6% showed some evidence of IGD symptoms. Respondents who had gambled online visited an average of 7.3 gambling websites. Those who had gambled online were significantly more likely than those who had never gambled online to report offline pathological gambling symptoms, suicide attempts, physical abuse of others, and sexual abuse of others. They were also more likely to report attempted suicides and current depression and anxiety symptoms. Correlational analyses revealed that the stronger the urge to gamble, the more likely the participant was to seek out gambling cues (e.g., gambling-related websites) and the more time was spent gambling (both online and off). Logistic regression analysis revealed that the strongest predictors of IGD symptoms were offline pathological gambling symptoms, substance dependence symptoms, and general impulsivity.
Date: July 2005
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies
Authors: Timothy G. Osmond, Ann M. McGwin, and David C. Hodgins
Games with the Best Odds of Winning at a CasinoThese authors describe a case in which internet gambling led to marital conflict and financial crisis. The husband had always been an avid gambler but his internet gambling escalated to the point where he was stealing money from his wife's account and running up large debts. His wife discovered his embezzlement and confronted him, leading to arguments and eventually separation. The author/therapist began seeing both separately and together to try to sort out the problems. The therapist reports that after 12 weekly sessions, the couple was reunited, and the husband had not gambled online for 6 months.
Date: August 2005
Source: International Centre for Youth Gameting
Author: Jeff Grub
Grub describes the results of a survey of 12 to 17 year olds in Britain. The survey, commissioned by the Gambling Commission, interviewed 3,443 young people. Results indicated that 60% of the youth had gambled during the previous year, with 35% having gamblished online. The most popular forms of gambling among youth were the National Lottery (48%), football pools (12%), scratch cards (9%), betting (6%), and fruit machines (5%). The most common form of online gambling was National Lottery games (43% of online youth gamblers). Of the online youth gamblers, 7% had attended gambling-related websites 'way too much', 2% had skived school to gamble, 3% had skipped work to gamble, 6% had stolen money to use for gambling, and 4% had run up gambling debts of more than PS00 ($1,000 US).
Date: September 2005
Source: Psychological Science
Authors: Elke Weber and Jioon Kaïm
Weber and Käim conducted two studies to examine the role of involvement in gambling. In Study 1 participants read descriptions of four different hypothetical gambling tasks and then indicated how likely they thought relatively high-risk and relatively low-risk outcomes were for each task. The tasks varied along 3 dimensions: (a) skill vs. chance, (b) complexity of the task instructions, and (c) perceived involvement (i.e., personal relevance or importance) of the task outcome. For example, one task was described as follows: “Imagine you hold a soccer ticket for either team A or team B. Team A has a home game against team C. Usually team A wins at home, but sometimes team C surprises and loses. You would be satisfied with a small win, but a loss would be a bigger disappointment than usual because this game is particularly important for your team.” After reading the description, participants estimated the probability of team A winning, which turned out to be highest for the highly involved chance task (69%) compared with the other tasks (49%–59%). Participants in the second study were asked to bid on a lottery ticket in a auction. Bids were highest for the involved lottery (mean = $3.22) compared with the not involved lottery ($1.52). The authors conclude that people are more persuaded by probabilities that agree with their involvement-induced subjective probabilities when making judgments related to involved outcomes. Thus, people may be more susceptible to gambling problems when they are involved.
Date: November 2005
Source: University of Sydney
Author: Pickering White
White reviewed the available research and reports on problem gambling among racehorse owners in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and the UK. He concludes that there is compelling evidence of a link between racing participation and problem gambling and calls for action: "Racing administrators cannot stand outside this issue. They must accept responsibility for the welfare of owners and take positive steps to help people with a gambling problem… The industry's future depends on owners, and if we lose them we have a very serious problem. Ignoring problem gambling among owners is ignoring the elephant in the room."
Date: December 2005
Source: CyberPsychology & Behavior
Authors: Julian Meyer, Zuzana Masancova, Jiri Machácek, and Marcel Šemán
These authors surveyed 1,014 internet users in the Czech Republic (average age = 26.7 years; 56% females). Participants completed measures of internet gambling, pathological gambling, other types of impulse control problems, psychiatric symptoms, and personality traits. Nearly half (47.2%) of the respondents had gambled online during the previous year, with an average of 2.58 hours per week spent gambling. The most frequently used forms of internet gambling were sports betting and poker. Logistic regression analysis revealed that pathological gambling was the best single predictor of internet gambling, followed by sensation seeking and neurosis. Pathological gambling accounted for 29% of the variance in internet gambling.
Blackjack Strategies You Need to Win Real Money - CaesarsDate: February 2006
Source: University of British Columbia
Author: Jeffrey Derevensky
Durevensky reports that when British Columbia introduced legal internet gambling in 2000, there was a marked increase in gambling problems, from 1.5% of the adult population to 2.6%. And problem gambling continues to rise, as more Canadians gain access to the internet and more time is spent online (including more time gambling online). He notes that British Columbia now has the highest rate of pathological gambling in North America.
Date: March 2006
Source: Cyberspace & Mental Health
Authors: Jennifer L. Faust, Brian D. Primack, and Nicholas Chang
These authors describe the results of a survey of 1,822 internet users who had gambled online (average age = 33.17; 58% females). Participants were asked about their gambling frequency, demographic characteristics, and psychosocial variables. They were also asked to indicate their agreement or disagreement with a series of statements designed to assess impairment or damage to various aspects of their lives due to their online gambling. According to their own reports, 19.8% of the respondents met the criteria for Internet Gambling Disorder (IGD); another 16.7% showed some, but not enough, symptoms of IGD. Those who met criteria for IGD spent significantly more hours gambling online each week than did nonIGD respondents (an average of 14.52 hours per week versus 5.97 hours). Compared to nonIGD respondents, those who met criteria for IGD were more likely to report attempted suicide, physical abuse of others, and current depression and anxiety symptoms. IGD respondents were also more likely to report urges to gamble that they were unable to control, to think about gambling activities when they should have been paying attention to other matters, to spend more money gambling than they could afford, to have tried but been unable to cut down or stop gambling, and to have lost more money to gambling than they could afford. In addition, IGD respondents reported more impairment across all 15 problem areas (family relationships, friends, hobbies and interests, sex and intimacy, poverty, suicidal thoughts, depression, anxiety, guilty feelings, argumentative, irritable or aggressive behavior, remorseful behavior, legal problems, lying, and theft).
Date: March 2006
Source: Journal of Gambling Studies
Authors: Sharon M. Zimring and Jennifer S. Light
Games With the Best Payout Rates in a CasinoThese authors surveyed 513 college students regarding their experiences with and attitudes toward interactive televised gambling (ITG). ITG allows viewers to use their telephone to call a number corresponding to what's on the TV screen and place a wager concerning what will happen next. For example, during a suspenseful moment in a movie, a banner at the bottom of the screen might invite viewers to call *20 to bet that the character will live (for even-money payoff) or *21 to bet that the character will die (also for even-money payoff). Zimring and Light found that 27% of their sample had participated in ITG; 38% of the men and 16% of the women had gambled via ITV. Participants who had gambled via ITV tended to be male, older, and heavier gamblers than those who had not gambled via ITV. Those who had gambled via ITV tended to report that they found it easier to develop a preference (i.e., to figure out what was most likely to happen and what the odds were), harder to control Urges to call (not easy to resist), harder to resist placing a call, more involvement in the program, more difficulty distinguishing between program and commercial time, greater confusion about the difference between reality and the program, and greater difficulty separating personal values and beliefs from those of the characters.
Date: April 2006
Source: Loto Quebec
Author: Marc Cote
Loto Quebec reported that its revenues have increased dramatically since the province initiated internet gambling in 2004: $26.2 million in 2004 and $48.5 million in 2005 (a 86% increase). Loto Quebec attributes part of this success to the anonymity and convenience of gambling on the internet.
Date: May 2006
Source: Harvard Medical School
Author: Richard A. Wyatt Jr.
Wyatt, writing in the Harvard Health Letter, noted that scientific studies of the biology of addiction are usually done on drug addicts, primarily cocaine and heroin abusers, and Gamblers Anonymous lists "obsessions with gambling... beyond the control of the individual" as the eighth criterion for recognizing someone who has a pathologic gambling problem. So it seems reasonable to wonder whether the changes that occur in the brains of people addicted to drugs of abuse also occur in pathological gamblers. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which allows scientists to observe the brain at work, Volkow and colleagues (2006) compared brain activity in 16 cocaine addicts just before they entered a treatment program with brain activity in 16 healthy, nonaddicted control subjects as they anticipate an upcoming event (preparation period before a lottery is about to deliver either winners or losers). During the preparation period, both groups showed similar activation in the anterior cingulateate, a structure deep within the brain that is thought to reflect anticipation of an upcoming event. However, among the cocaine addicts, this activation was accompanied by increased activity in several neighboring brain structures that are rich in the neurotransmitter dopamine - the nucleus accumbens, the amygdala, and the insula. These same structures have previously been found to be unusually responsive to drug cues in drug addicts and have also been implicated in the salience or motivation assigned to natural rewards such as food, sex, and family pictures of one's own children. The findings suggest that the heightened response in these structures may underlie the intense focus and preoccupation experienced by addicts, regardless of whether the anticipated event turns out to be a win or a loss. Interestingly, when the researchers compared winners and losers within each group, they found that both groups responded similarly in the anterior cingulate, but the cocaine addicts (both winners and losers) continued to show greater activity than the controls in the neighboring regions rich in dopamine.
Date: June 2006
Source: American Psychological Association
Author: Ronald E. Simons
Simons, president of the APA, delivered a speech in which he urged parents to closely monitor and limit the amount of time their children spend playing violent video games. Simons cited research indicating that children who frequently play aggressive video games are more likely to show aggressive behavior and have difficulty distinguishing fantasy and reality.
Date: July 2006
Source: Play & Culture
Author: Henrietta J. Bowden-Kelly
Bowden-Kelly interviewed 21 adolescent girls aged 13 to 19 years who frequented internet chat rooms and found that the girls used the internet for identity experimentation, as a means of coping with trauma, and to create a sense of self. Most had experienced difficulties in their offline lives, including violence, sexual and physical abuse, neglect, substance abuse in the household, parental separation or death, step-parental abuse, and mental illness in the family. "Getting on-line offered these girls a space outside of their troubled homes and schools where they could experiment with new identities and experiences.... Despite some concerns over safety, for many of these girls the internet provided a site of pleasure, and offered opportunities for social interaction and personal development."
Date: August 2006
Source: University of California-Los Angeles
Author: Marla E. Deutch
No Deposit Bonus Codes That Really Work (2023 Best) - Indivisible GamingDeutch surveyed 1,232 undergraduates regarding internet gambling and impulse control. Participants who had gambled online (41% of the men and 21% of the women had done so) were more impulsive and had lower scores on measure of Conscientiousness than did those who had not gambled online. Those who had gambled online also scored higher on a measure of pathological gambling tendencies and on a scale designed to assess symptoms of Internet Gambling Disorder.
Date: September 2006
Source: University of Adelaide
Author: Anthony Kildara
Kildara and his colleagues surveyed 3,136 adults in South Australia by telephone. Participants were asked whether they had ever purchased a lottery ticket online, whether they had ever engaged in any other type of internet gambling, and whether they endorsed criteria for pathological gambling. Overall, 4.3% of the respondents met the criteria for pathological gambling. Of those who had purchased a lottery ticket online, 15.6% met the criteria for pathological gambling (vs. 3.7% of those who had not bought a lottery ticket online). "This result shows that online gambling is a major concern and highlights the need for rigorous regulation of the industry.... Given the addictive potential of online gambling, governments need to ensure that adequate safeguards are in place before they sanction its expansion.... Provider and game availability, spending limits, 'cooling off' periods, privacy options and information about the risks of gambling are examples of issues that need to be carefully addressed."
Date: September 2006
Source: Institute of Psychiatry (University of London)
Authors: Marcantonio Lancerato, John Patterson, and Malcolm Lester
These authors reviewed medical records of patients attending clinics specializing in the treatment of problematic sedative, opiate, and cannabis use and compared them to records of nonaddicted patients. They found that gamblers comprised 62% of the sedative misusers versus 26% of nonaddicted patients; 64% of the opiate misusers versus 27% of the nonaddicted patients; and 59% of the cannabis misusers versus 30% of the nonaddicted patients. Problematic alcohol use was also more prevalent among the addiction patients versus the nonaddicted patients: 74% versus 48% for sedatives; 77% versus 42% for opiates; and 58% versus 41% for cannabis.
Date: October 2006
Source: Harvard Medical School
Author: John M. Grohol, PsyD
Writing in the Harvard Mental Health Letter, Grohol points out that internet addiction is not yet recognized as a formal mental disorder but estimates that as many as 8% of the online population may qualify as 'pathological internet users." Symptoms include feeling overwhelmed and stressed when unable to access the internet; using the internet as an escape; losing interest in previously enjoyed offline activities; "flatting to entertain" (exaggerating one's life online); hazardous internet use (such as driving while surfing); cybersex addiction; and chronic exposure to pornography.
Date: November 2006
Source: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (Toronto, Canada)
Author: Tim Lahti
Lahti reports that internet gambling revenue in Ontario, Canada, more than doubled between 2004 and 2005: $13.7 million vs. $31.3 million. Revenue from poker alone leapt from $1.7 million in 2004 to $23.2 million in 2005. Lahti expressed concern that the explosive growth of internet gambling may lead to gambling problems: "People with an addictive personality can play 10 or 12 tables of poker at the same time, so the money goes very quickly.... Poker is a skill, but people play money they shouldn't.... It's a huge worry."
Date: January 2007
Source: University of London
Author: Mark Griffiths
Griffiths conducted a content analysis of websites offering online gambling to minors. Of the 53 websites that allowed minors to gamble, 29 permitted minors to place sports bets; 26 allowed minors to participate in poker; 19 allowed minors to participate in horse race betting, and 12 allowed minors to participate in casino games. Thirteen sites accepted minors as players for all five types of gambling investigated in this study. In all, 1,714 minors were identified as registered players at the 53 sites. "Whilst it is acknowledged that the sample of sites examined is far from definitive, and that it is difficult to generalise the findings to the entirety of Internet gambling provision, these data do provide preliminary evidence of a substantial number of Internet gambling providers that either deliberately or negligently enable and encourage young people to gamble."
Date: February 2007
Source: Australian Productivity Commission
Author: Unknown
Australia's Productivity Commission released a report estimating that 11% of adults participate in some form of gambling on the internet and that internet gamblers tend to gamble more often and in greater amounts than noninternet gamblers. Further, "people with problem-gambling behaviors are more likely to gamble on the internet.... The ready availability of internet gambling via computers and mobile phones is a concern.... The anonymity of internet gambling can remove barriers to entry for minimally supervised minor gamblers and potentially lead to the escalation of gambling problems.... The capacity of the internet to bypass national borders increases the complexity of trying to limit access to the internet for gambling purposes by individuals with gambling problems."
Date: March 2007
Source: Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Author: Odd Sverre Mellstrøm
Mellstrøm conducted a meta-analysis of fMRI studies of gambling and found that "the neurobiological changes seen in persons suffering from pathological gambling are strikingly similar to the neurobiological changes observed in drug addiction.... The same brain circuits seem to be activated both when a gambling addict thinks about gambling and when a drug addict thinks about procuring drugs…. The fact that the same mechanisms are involved in both forms of addiction may explain why it is so hard to break free from gambling.... The results suggest that the same principles for treating drug addiction could be applied to gambling addiction."
Date: March 2007
online poker rooms real moneySource: University of Montreal
Author: Louisa Degenaro Teixeira
Teixeira reports that her interviews with pathological gamblers revealed that they perceive internet gambling as more risky and more exciting than casino gambling and that the internet provides greater opportunities and fewer inhibitions for chasing losses. "Being alone at home in front of a computer screen creates a privileged situation for giving in to the impulse to chase one's losses. Compounding the problem is the fact that the Internet makes it very easy to open new accounts at different sites.... People who are shy or suffer from social anxiety find it particularly easy to get trapped in this vicious circle.... Unlike in a casino, where employees notice when someone is excessively betting other people's money put down on credit, and can intervene, the gambler at home can easily run up horrendous debts."
Date: March 2007
Source: University College London
Authors: Jonathan Parry, Neil Levy, and Maria Morgan
These authors surveyed 2,421 internet users regarding their gambling behaviors and found that 3.6% of the respondents met the criteria for Internet Gambling Disorder (moderate Internet Gambling Disorder: 8.5%). Those who met criteria for Internet Gambling Disorder were more likely to meet criteria for pathological gambling (22.7% vs. 1.2%), to be men, to be single, to smoke cigarettes, to have lower socioeconomic status occupations, and to report impaired control, preoccupation, escape, tolerance, "chasing of losses," and social problems and conflict resulting from gambling. They also spent more hours gambling online and gambled on a wider variety of activities. The researchers note that their findings are consistent with proposals to include Internet Gambling Disorder in DSM-V.
Date: April 2007
Source: University of Essex
Author: Rachel Gordon
Gordon surveyed 849 internet users in the UK and found that 12% of the respondents had shown signs of addiction to online gambling, 2% met the full diagnostic criteria for pathological gambling, and 5% showed signs of moderate risk for pathological gambling. Men, the unemployed, and those reporting poor psychological well-being were more likely to show signs of addiction to online gambling.
Date: May 2007
Source: University of California-Los Angeles
Author: Marla E. Deutch
Deutch surveyed 522 undergraduates regarding their gambling and impulse control. Those who had gambled online (62% of the men and 39% of the women) scored higher on a measure of pathological gambling tendencies and on scales designed to assess Internet Gambling Disorder, and lower on a measure of conscientiousness than did those who had not gambbled online. There was a significant interaction between gambling online and gender such that the difference between men and women in conscientiousness was largely due to the men's higher rate of internet gambling.
Date: June 2007
Source: Georgia Tech Research Institute
Author: Charles A. Beauchemin
Beauchemin surveyed 101 gamblers seeking treatment at a clinic in Atlanta and found that 61% of the respondents had gambled online, compared to 21% of the U.S. adult population. Those who had gambled online gambled more often and to a greater extent than those who had not gambled online. "While additional research is needed to draw firm conclusions, our findings certainly raise red flags and warrant further scrutiny of the impact of Internet gambling on pathological gambling."
Date: June 2007
Source: University of Waterloo
Author: Jeffrey D. Lucero
Lucero and his colleagues surveyed 382 frequent video lottery terminal players in Ontario, Canada. Forty percent of the respondents reported gambling on the internet, with men being nearly three times more likely than women to have gambled online. Those who had gambled online gambled more often and to a greater extent than those who had not gambled online. Those who had gambled online were also more likely to have experienced gambling-related problems (ie, met criteria for pathological gambling): 36.4% vs. 19.3%; and to score higher on measures of at-risk gambling and problem gambling.
Date: July 2007
Source: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Author: Rosalie Liccardo Huber
Writing in MIT's Technology Review, Huber noted that the proliferation of electronic slots in Indian casinos has led to an explosion in gambling and gambling problems among Native Americans. Tribal leaders blame electronic slots for rising alcohol and drug abuse, domestic violence, child neglect, divorce, and suicide, as well as for draining tribal treasuries. Some tribes are now banning the slot machines.
Date: July 2007
Source: University of Toronto
Author: Jennifer S. MacInnes
MacInnes and colleagues surveyed 1,239 adults attending emergency departments in Ontario, Canada. Sixteen percent of the respondents admitted to at least moderate risk internet gambling (eg, gambling to ease feelings of anxiety or helplessness, chasing losses, illegal activities to finance gambling). Those at elevated risk for problem gambling were more likely to report internet gambling and to have gambled on the phone. "Problematic internet gambling warrants further screening and intervention efforts within hospital emergency departments.... Since individuals with physical injuries resulting from motor vehicle collisions, which have been linked to gambling problems, are commonly treated in emergency department settings, these clinical facilities provide a timely opportunity to identify and intervene with individuals experiencing gambling-related harms."
Date: July 2007
Source: University of Minnesota
Author: Larry Stevens
Guide on Gambling in Florida - Best FL Casinos & GamesStevens, medical director for the Minnesota Department of Human Services Division of Indian Affairs, warned state legislators that Native American reservations in Minnesota may soon begin offering internet gambling, which he considers "a disaster waiting to happen." He noted that a federal law exempts gambling that occurs entirely within an Indian reservation from state and local taxes and laws, unless the gambling has a "direct effect" on the state. "But exactly what constitutes ‘direct effect' is still being battled out in court.... What constitutes the boundaries of an Indian reservation when gambling occurs over the Internet? Is it the reservation where the computer is located, or the reservation where the computer server is situated?"
Date: August 2007
Source: Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
Authors: Francisco S. Santinelli, Marcos L. Raizman, Rodrigo T. Baggio, Andre P. Silveira, and Paulo A. Klatzo
These authors described the first case of internet gaming disorder presenting with transient global amnesia. The 27-year-old man had a 5-year history of compulsive internet gambling, with daily gambling for up to 16 hours a day. Following an argument with his wife, he experienced an episode of transient global amnesia during which he was unable to recall personally identifying information or details of his gambling debt. Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) revealed no structural abnormalities.
Date: September 2007
Source: Oxford Centre for Criminology
Author: Keith Ditchfield
Ditchfield surveyed 388 frequent users of fixed-odds betting terminals in England and found that 38% of the respondents had also gambled online, with men being nearly three times more likely than women to have gambled online. Those who had gambled online had started gambling at younger ages and reported more gambling-related problems (pathological gambling: 23.1% vs. 6.2%; dysfunctional gambling: 44.4% vs. 22.2%).
Date: September 2007
Source: University of Georgia
Author: Richard A. Grucza
Grucza and colleagues surveyed 584 undergraduate students regarding gambling and found that those who had gambled online (47% of the men and 21% of the women) scored higher on a scale of pathological
