Investigating safety protocols for athletes
A recent study published in the scientific journal "Journal of Experimental Psychology: General" (JOEPG) by the Kiel Institute for the World's Sciences (IfW) discovered that some modern measures to stop online gaming addiction might actually make things worse for problem gamblers. This study received attention due to the World Health Organization (WHO) officially recognizing online gaming addiction as a disease.
The study, called "It's all about gains: Risk preferences in problem gambling," was a joint effort between the IfW, Kiel University's psychological institute, and the California Institute of Technology and was published in the respected journal JOEPG, under the American Psychological Association (APA).
The research involved 74 people, divided into 25 problem gamblers, 23 casual gamblers, and 26 non-gamblers as a control group. They were examined based on their attitudes towards gains and losses in gambling.
In this experiment, participants had to repeatedly choose between a secure payout and playing a winning lottery, while problem gamblers tended to pick the riskier option. However, no significant differences were observed concerning their fear of losses, as participants were presented with various loss scenarios. In total, the participants experienced 29 decision situations.
The results indicate that problem gamblers perceive the possibility of winning in gambling differently from casual and non-gamblers. They tend to overestimate the low probability of winning.
Ineffective player protection measures?
The study's findings imply that the current gambling prevention measures might have the opposite effect on addiction sufferers, as they may not address the underlying issue if the providers do not explicitly mention the loss probabilities of their products. Patrick Ring, a co-author of the IfW, emphasized:
"These results are significant in light of current gambling presentation practices that mostly focus on promoting the probability of winning. Pathological gamblers are especially influenced by this, as they tend to overestimate the low probability of winning in their mental calculations."
Ring provides an example. He refers to the largest German lottery, 6 out of 49, where the chance of winning the jackpot, which is often worth millions of euros, is traditionally said to be 1:140 million. But how much money is lost with each bet? Ulrich Schmidt, another co-author of the IfW, added:
"If gambling providers aim to fulfill their responsibility to prevent gambling addiction, they should start by not only disclosing the probabilities of winning but also the rates at which players lose."
Today, June 18th, a new catalog for diagnostic purposes was released. It is used by doctors and serves as a basis for health insurance reimbursement. According to the WHO's latest ICD-11 categorization, there are three main factors for classifying the disease: first, the duration and frequency of gambling. Second, the growing importance of playing over other activities. And third, the continuation of gambling even after facing negative consequences.
The decision to categorize online gaming addiction by the WHO is a point of contention among researchers. Some fear that it could lead to the misuse of these diagnoses and stigmatize recreational gamblers. Psychologist Andy Przybylski from the University of Oxford expressed concern in an open letter as he suggested that people with excessive gaming should be treated differently based on the underlying conditions like depression or anxiety disorders.
However, Zurich psychotherapist Franz Eidenbenz sees the classification as a long-overdue and necessary measure, emphasizing its potential benefits on addicts and their families. He has been working with online gaming addicts for almost 20 years and claims that they often face negative consequences, such as sleep disruptions, lack of physical activity, and poor nutrition.
Gambling addiction is a prevalent and difficult-to-control issue in Germany. The German Center for Addiction Issues (DHS) estimates that there are over 240,000 pathological players who spend a significant amount of time in front of their screens, and more than 450,000 people experienced problems associated with gambling in 2016. The true number is likely much higher due to the growing online gambling sector.
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