How do gamblers start gambling: identifying behavioural markers for high-risk internet gambling
Open Access
- 27 January 2010
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in European Journal of Public Health
- Vol. 22 (2), 273-278
- https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckp232
Abstract
Background: The goal of this study is to identify betting patterns displayed during the first month of actual Internet gambling on a betting site that can serve as behavioural markers to predict the development of gambling-related problems. Methods: Using longitudinal data, k-means clustering analysis identified a small subgroup of high-risk gamblers. Results: Seventy-three percent of the members of this subgroup eventually closed their account due to gambling-related problems. The characteristics of this high-risk subgroup were as follows: (i) frequent and (ii) intensive betting combined with (iii) high variability across wager amount and (iv) an increasing wager size during the first month of betting. Conclusion: This analysis provides important information that can help to identify potentially problematic gamblers during the early stages of gambling-related problems. Public health workers can use these results to develop early interventions that target high-risk Internet gamblers for prevention efforts. However, one study limitation is that the results distinguish only a small proportion of the total sample; therefore, additional research will be necessary to identify markers that can classify larger segments of high-risk gamblers.This publication has 27 references indexed in Scilit:
- Population trends in Internet sports gamblingComputers in Human Behavior, 2008
- Inside the virtual casino: a prospective longitudinal study of actual Internet casino gamblingEuropean Journal of Public Health, 2008
- DSM-IV pathological gambling in the National Comorbidity Survey ReplicationPsychological Medicine, 2008
- Comorbidity of DSM-IV Pathological Gambling and Other Psychiatric DisordersBritish Journal of Psychology, 2005
- The natural history of problem gambling from age 18 to 29.Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 2003
- Gambling and Related Mental Disorders: A Public Health AnalysisAnnual Review of Public Health, 2002
- Disordered gambling among university-based medical and dental patients: A focus on Internet gambling.Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 2002
- Disordered gambling among university-based medical and dental patients: A focus on Internet gambling.Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 2002
- Multivariate assessment of factors influencing illicit substance use in twins from female-female pairsAmerican Journal of Medical Genetics, 2000
- Estimating the prevalence of disordered gambling behavior in the United States and Canada: a research synthesis.American Journal of Public Health, 1999