To pay or just play? Examining individual differences between purchasers and earners of loot boxes in Overwatch

Video-game loot boxes are a popular form of microtransaction that have been widely criticized for their structural similarities to gambling. Recent research linking loot box expenditure to gambling activity has illuminated potential harms associated with loot box use. However, whether the harms differ between earning loot boxes through gameplay versus acquiring loot boxes through purchasing remains understudied. This pre-registered study explores gambling, gaming and loot box-related harms between loot box purchasers and earners in the scope of the game Overwatch. To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess loot box-related harms in a single game. We found that loot box purchasers experienced greater video-game related expenditure harms, risky loot box use, impulsivity related to planning and reward reactivity in comparison to loot box earners. Surprisingly, Overwatch loot box earners displayed greater gambling-related harms and there were no differences in general problem video-gaming between the two groups. Our results suggest that the relationship between loot box purchasing and gambling is in need of refined examination. Particularly, our results indicate that potential harms stemming from loot box engagement should be assessed on a game-by-game basis in order to better understand the potentially problematic nature of loot box use.

Differences in Perceived and Experienced Stigma Between Problematic Gamblers and Non-gamblers in a General Population Survey

We consider a sample of about 700 people, interviewed on the streets, who are sorted into two groups by a self-report, screening questionnaire: namely, non-problematic gamblers/non-gamblers and problematic gamblers. Within each group, we compare both social (perceived) stigma and self-perceived (experienced) stigma, measured by means of other two self-report questionnaires, and we seek for relations between stigma and socio-demographic variables that can help targeting possible interventions to reduce gambling-related stigma. We, then, compare stigma between the two groups of non-(problematic) gamblers and problematic ones, and we also check the hypothesis that higher social stigma is related to higher self-perceived stigma, as well as higher stigma is related to lesser help-seeking. The latter hypothesis is of utmost importance, given that stigma is recognised to be one of the major causes for hindering help-seeking by problematic gamblers. The research is carried out in Italy, one of the first countries in the world for the money spent per capita in gambling activity every year.

KETIDAKSETUJUAN KEGIATAN JUDI MERPATI DEMI MENJAGA KELESTARIANNYA (KHUSUSNYA PADA DAERAH KENJERAN, SURABAYA)

This research on pigeon gambling was made with the aim of informing residents that until now there are still many who carry out pigeon gambling activities, especially in the Kenjeran area of Surabaya. With the pigeon gambling activity, of course, indirectly harming their relatives, especially themselves if they do this, because if they fail, they will bet to pay the money according to the agreement. Where it is not profitable at all, but rather an addiction or desire more to hope to win and produce quickly. Pigeon gambling is a game using birds that are contested to compete with the flying speed of the pigeons until they reach the finish line that has been prepared and determined by the “adu doro” (pigeon fighting) committee. In Surabaya, especially in the Kenjeran area, the existence of "fight-doro" activities is still often seen. Even though Surabaya is a big city, “pigeon fighting” activities are only carried out at certain times, namely Sundays or holidays. Before participating in the competition, the pigeons must be trained first, the practice is carried out every afternoon so that the pigeons can be more sensitive to their cruising range.Keywords: bet; deviant behavior; pigeon gamblingAbstrakPenelitian mengenai judi burung merpati ini dibuat dengan tujuan untuk memberitahu kepada para warga yang sampai saat ini masih banyak yang melakukan kegiatan judi burung merpati, khususnya di daerah Kenjeran Surabaya. Dengan adanya kegiatan judi merpati tersebut tentu secara tidak langsung merugikan sanak saudara mereka, terutama dirinya sendiri jika melakukan hal tersebut, karena jika sudah mengalami kegagalan akan bertaruh membayar uang sesuai yang sudah diperjanjikan. Dimana hal tersebut sama sekali tidak menguntungkan, melainkan rasa candu atau keinginan lebih untuk berharap menang dan menghasilkan secara cepat. Judi merpati merupakan judi dengan sarana burung yang dilombakan untuk mengadu kecepatan terbang merpati hingga sampai di garis finish yang telah dipersiapkan dan ditentukan oleh panitia “adu doro” (adu merpati). Di Surabaya, khususnya daerah Kenjeran, kegiatan “adu doro” masih sering terlihat eksistensinya. Walaupun Surabaya termasuk kota besar, akan tetapi kegiatan “adu merpati” hanya dilakukan pada waktu tertentu yaitu hari Minggu atau hari libur. Burung merpati sebelum mengikuti lomba harus dilatih terlebih dahulu, latihannya dilakukan setiap sore hari agar merpati nya bisa lebih peka daya jelajahnya.

Gambling activity in the old-age general population

Old age constitutes a vulnerable stage for developing gambling-related problems. The aims of the study were to identify patterns of gambling habits in elderly participants from the general population, and to assess socio-demographic and clinical variables related to the severity of the gambling behaviours. The sample included N = 361 participants aged in the 50–90 years range. A broad assessment included socio-demographic variables, gambling profile and psychopathological state. The percentage of participants who reported an absence of gambling activities was 35.5 per cent, while 46.0 per cent reported only non-strategic gambling, 2.2 per cent only strategic gambling and 16.3 per cent both non-strategic plus strategic gambling. Gambling form with highest prevalence was lotteries (60.4%), followed by pools (13.9%) and bingo (11.9%). The prevalence of gambling disorder was 1.4 per cent, and 8.0 per cent of participants were at a problematic gambling level. Onset of gambling activities was younger for men, and male participants also reached a higher mean for the bets per gambling-episode and the number of total gambling activities. Risk factors for gambling severity in the sample were not being born in Spain and a higher number of cumulative lifetime life events, and gambling severity was associated with a higher prevalence of tobacco and alcohol abuse and with worse psychopathological state. Results are particularly useful for the development of reliable screening tools and for the design of effective prevention programmes.

Measuring gambling activity in options market

PurposeThis paper investigates how the gambling measure captures market bubble events, and how it predicts stock return and option return.Design/methodology/approachThis paper proposes a gambling activity measure by jointly considering open interest and moneyness of out-of-the-money (OTM) individual equity call options.FindingsThe new measure, CallMoney, captures excessive optimism during the dot-com bubble, the oil price bubble and the pre-GFC stock market bubble. CallMoney robustly and negatively predicts both OTM and at-the-money call option returns cross-sectionally. The option return predictability of CallMoney is stronger when stock price is further from its 52-weeks high, capital gains overhang is lower, and when information uncertainty of the underlying stock is higher. CallMoney also robustly and negatively predicts cross-sectional stock returns.Originality/valueThe gambling measure has the advantages of being economically intuitive, model-free, easy to measure. The measure performs more robustly than existing lottery measures with respect to option and stock return predictability and more reliably captures the overpricing of options and stocks. The work helps understanding the gambling related anomalies in equity option returns and stock returns.

Online Gambling Activity, Pay-to-Win Payments, Motivation to Gamble and Coping Strategies as Predictors of Gambling Disorder Among e-sports Bettors

Research on esports activity usually captures it from the perspective of involvement in gaming. This study presents the results of the first research in Poland (N = 438) on esports betting (ESB). ESB is compared to other forms of e-gambling and involvement in pay-to-win games. The aim was to build a predictive model of gambling disorder among people betting on esports. A predictive model of gambling disorder based on ordinal regression was built, including sociodemographic variables, involvement in esports betting, involvement in other Internet activities connected to ESB, as well as psychological variables—motivation to gamble and coping strategies. The results showed that gambling disorder among esports bettors is associated with time spent on one game session, placing other forms of online gambling bets once a week or more often, and paying in pay-to-win games. Gambling disorder was also predicted by escape coping strategies and lower engaged strategies as well as financial and coping motivation to bet on esports results. The results show the crucial role of psychological factors (motivation, coping) in the development of esports betting addiction. Esports betting is an activity associated with both gambling and gaming—involvement in both activities explains the development of ESB addiction. There is a need for further research focused on the specificity of esports betting behavior to discover the direction of links among gaming, gambling, and esports gambling.

Understanding Online Voluntary Self-Exclusion in Gambling: An Empirical Study Using Account-Based Behavioral Tracking Data

Online gambling has continued to grow alongside new ways to analyze data using behavioral tracking as a way to enhance consumer protection. A number of studies have analyzed consumers that have used voluntary self-exclusion (VSE) as a proxy measure for problem gambling. However, some scholars have argued that this is a poor proxy for problem gambling. Therefore, the present study examined this issue by analyzing customers (from the gambling operator Unibet) that have engaged in VSE. The participants comprised of costumers that chose to use the six-month VSE option (n = 7732), and customers that chose to close their Unibet account due to a specific self-reported gambling addiction (n = 141). Almost one-fifth of the customers that used six-month VSE only had gambling activity for less than 24 h (19.15%). Moreover, half of the customers had less than seven days of account registration prior to six-month VSE (50.39%). Customers who use VSE are too different to be treated as a homogenous group and therefore VSE is not a reliable proxy measure for problem gambling. The findings of this research are beneficial for operators, researchers, and policymakers because it provides insight into gambling behavior by analyzing real player behavior using tracking technologies, which is objective and unbiased.

Preferences on Online Gambling Activities among Adolescents: A Review

The accessibility and availability of a variety of online gambling for adolescents is a public concern. In the current literature, it remains unclear in which activities the greatest prevalence occurs. Moreover, it is well-known that different types of gambling activities carry different levels of risk just as have distinct socioeconomic, and mental health-related consequences. The main aim of this study is to systematically review the current literature in order to explore the prevalence of different types of online gambling activities reported by adolescents and their relationship with other reported variables when available. It will be conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses-P 2015 statement for systematic review and metaanalysis protocols. An electronic literature search will be conducted using the following databases: PubMed, PsychINFO, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and Google Scholar using search keywords and logic as follows: “(Internet OR online) gambling AND (adolescents OR young people)”. Additionally, further articles will be identified through searching the citations in the literature selected. The overall percentage of online gamblers and the percentage of online gamblers for each type of gambling activity were identified or calculated. Seven-teen articles met the eligibility criteria. The included studies comprised 15 crosssectional and two longitudinal designs. Most of the research was conducted in Europe. The online gambling modalities detected were sports bets, card games, gambling machines, casino games lottery games, scratch tickets, bingo, gambling in social networking, stock market investment, and mahjong. Only two studies provided associations between a specific online gambling activity and socioeconomic and mental health associations, founding involvement in online sports betting and in online casino game is a risk factor to the development of disordered gambling. A consensus on the evaluation method of the problem and updated questionnaires collecting information regarding the new online betting modalities are critical.

The Influence of Lockdown on the Gambling Pattern of Swiss Casinos Players

The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has had a major impact on most societies worldwide, including the closure of non-essential businesses in spring 2020. The present study considers its impact upon gambling behavior. Particularly, changes in self-reported gambling by Swiss, land-based casino players are examined. The main characteristics of respondents who played or did not play during lockdown are also investigated. This study is embedded in an ongoing longitudinal study that examines the gambling behavior of casino players at three points in time. All respondents who had participated in the first wave of the longitudinal study by the cut-off date (15th March 2020) were asked about their gambling behavior during lockdown in a supplementary online survey three weeks after the end of lockdown. A total of 55% of the 110 respondents reported having played during lockdown. Gambling intensity significantly decreased (p < 0.001) in our sample. Considering only those respondents (n = 66) who reported having gambled during lockdown, gambling intensity also decreased (p < 0.001), but online gambling significantly increased (p < 0.002). Those players who have increased their gambling activity require particular attention. It is important that casinos respond with appropriate player protection measures to those who have increased their gambling activity during the pandemic.