Latest in Research - Problem Gambling

A Medium To Long-Term Programme Of Research
For Investigating Gaming
Machines In Great Britain

The aims of this consultation were
to assess, in relation to gaming machines, the level of consensus regarding factors which determine gambling-related harm; identify preventative measures which may be appropriate to the British context
and that evidence was lacking or needed.
Gambling Commission - UK

************************************************
Electronic Gambling Machines: Influence Of A Clock, A Cash Display, And A Precommitment
On Gambling Time

Although these features could be useful for some players, few studies have examined the influence of the features on gamblers' perceptions and behaviours. The goal of this study is to examine the usefulness of three EGM features: a clock, a cash display, the selection of a precommitment on gambling. Universite Laval, Quebec

************************************************
Gambling Module - NSW Population Health Survey

If a person gambled in the past 12 months then each of the nine CPGI questions are asked. For non
gamblers and for each response of: never a score of 0 was given; something a score of 1 is given; most of the time a score of 2 is given; almost always a score of 3 is given.
Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing

************************************************
Women, More Than Men,
Become Problem Pokie Players

A new study has found women are more likely than men to become problem poker machine gamblers. A researcher says women now make up 64 per cent of the nation's poker machine users. He says strategies to combat problem gambling should be tailored to include the habits of female gamblers. ABC News

************************************************
Genetic Disorder Turns
Risk-Averse Into Gamblers

The brains of people who risk everything when gambling may be wired up differently to those of the naturally cautious, according to a study that appears to have
discovered a neurological basis for reckless behaviour. Loss aversion behaviour is seen to be important biologically.
The Independent

************************************************
Parkinson's Patients Who Are Pathological Gamblers Also
Display Abnormal Social Behavior

People with Parkinson's Disease
are more likely to display abnormal social behaviour and make poor decisions in ambiguous circumstances if they are pathological gamblers, according to research in the January issue of the European Journal of Neurology.
Science Daily

Games Of Chance:
Know Your Limits

The National Council of Problem Gambling (NCPG) estimates that as of 2006, about 2% of Arkansas adults, or 42,394 people, are struggling with problem gambling. About 1% can be characterized as struggling with pathological or compulsive gambling. Research shows that problem
gambling among adolescents in the U.S. has increased in recent years.
University of Arkansas

************************************************
Gambling And Health Policy

From the early 1990s, there was a rapid increase in the availability of commercial gambling throughout Australia, accompanied by an increasing reliance by state governments on revenue derived
from gambling taxes. These increases have been particularly associated with the ready availability of electronic gaming machines in social venues such as local clubs and hotels.
Public Health Association Australia

************************************************
Gambling Venue Safety 'Woeful'

Federal senator told a coronial enquiry the suicide death of poker machine addicted SkyCity employee was avoidable. The 24-year-old
mother died in August 2006, after overdosing on non-prescription
drugs. He said research showed
that, on average, one in five gaming venue employees would develop a gambling problem.
Adelaide Now

************************************************
Virtual Slot Machines
Provide Clues About Addiction

Ottawa researchers are using virtual reality to figure out what makes slot machines so addictive in an effort to prevent people from developing gambling problems. "Slot machines are the crack cocaine of gambling, they say," said Matthew Young, a Carleton University professor who works at the university's gambling lab. CBC News

************************************************
Internet Use Leads
To Depression, Report Finds

These "internet addicts" spent proportionately more time browsing sexually-gratifying websites, online gaming sites and online communities. They also had a higher incidence of moderate to severe depression than non-addicted users. Research found young people were more likely to be internet addicted. WAtoday

************************************************
VLTs Tied To Problem
Gambling In Women: Study

A study, published this week in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry,
looked at the gambling habits of Canadian women 15 years of age and older. Playing VLTs in bars and restaurants was associated with the highest odds of problem gambling among women, according to researchers.
CBC News