Understanding Gambling Strategies
Posted on 25. Jul, 2011 by Problem Gambling in Gambling Addiction Research
Pathological gambling has become an increasingly common problem, especially with the advent of online gambling in the last decade. Gambling addictions are similar to other types of addiction in their symptoms, with addicts experiencing a deterioration of personal relationships and professional achievement.
In order to develop strategies for the treatment of gambling addictions, therapists must first understand the development and characteristics of pathological gamblers. Recently, a study was conducted that explored different types of gambling strategies in order to understand characteristics of those with gambling disorder (Odlaug, Marsh, Kim & Grant, 2011).
The researchers recruited 440 participants, all over the age of 18. Each participant had a diagnosis of pathological gambling according to DSM-IV criteria, but had no diagnosis of psychotic or bipolar disorders. The participants were all recruited from one of several clinical trials conducted from 2000 to 2008.
The participants were evaluated with a psychiatric assessment and were also assessed for demographics and features of pathological gambling, such as gender and age. A semi-structured clinical interview asked questions about each participant’s preferred styles of gambling. In addition, the researchers assessed pathological gambling symptom severity using the Yale-Brown Obsessive-compulsive Scale Modified for Pathological Gambling.
After assessing the participants’ preferred gambling type, the researchers divided the participants into one of three groups: strategic gamblers (those who play such games as poker, blackjack and enjoy betting on dog and horse racing; N=56); nonstrategic gamblers (those who prefer slot machines, etc.; N=200); and both (those who reported no preference; N=184).
The results of the analysis showed that nonstrategic gamblers tended to be older than strategic gamblers at the onset of gambling addiction, nonstrategic players were also less educated, and were more likely to be female than strategic gamblers.
The study’s results may be limited by its dependence on self-report. The gambler’s self-reported preference may not correspond to the game played most often. In addition, the study included only gamblers seeking assistance for overcoming gambling problems.
The study’s findings may be better understood by further research examining whether education levels and age patterns are consistent among strategic and nonstrategic gamblers when the results are controlled for gender differences. The researchers did not find that there were differences in gambling strategies preferred among gamblers with different levels of gambling addiction severity.
The use of participants who are seeking treatment may significantly reduce the variance in severity of gambling addiction. Results that may be generalizable to pathological gamblers should recruit participants from a more varied source.
