The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

The WAGER, Vol 2(47) - In Flight Gambling

Two new and controversial forms of gambling are in-flight gambling and Internet gambling. In-flight gambling allows passengers to have their own monitor and PC on which gambling is one of the several entertainment options. The PCs are linked to a system on the plane which can relay information via satellite to the ground system*. Unlike Internet gambling, which is already up and running and accessible to all internet users with a credit card, in-flight gambling is barred by law on all U.S. air carriers. This ban on in-flight gambling applies to both domestic flights and flights in and out of... Read more →

The WAGER, Vol 2(46) - Entertainment Activities in Canada and the U.S.

A recent survey of 3,502 adults in Canada and the U.S. examined attitudes and experience with gambling1. Researchers selected the respondents via a random digit dial strategy and interviewed them over the telephone. The respondents reported the entertainment and gambling activities they had engaged in during the past year (1996). The most frequent non-gaming entertainment choices among Canadians and Americans in 1996 were going out to restaurants, movies, visiting musuems or theme parks, and participating in or attending sports events. Unsurprisingly, lotteries were cited as the most popular gaming activity; this finding could be a function of the daily opportunities... Read more →

The WAGER, Vol 2(45) - The Relationship of Moods to Gambling

The factors important to the initiation of gambling activity may be different from the factors responsible for maintaining gambling behavior over time. Research into the maintenance of fruit machine (slot machine) gambling in the U.K. has examined the role of 1) excitement and 2) depression as gambling reinforcers. With a convenience sample of 60 subjects, a U.K. study* had each subject gamble on a particular fruit machine at a local amusement arcade. The mean age of the sample was 23.4; 73.3% of the subjects were male. Pathological gamblers (PG) were defined as those meeting DSM-III-R criteria; regular gamblers (RG) were... Read more →

The WAGER, Vol 2(44) - Perceptions of Internet Gambling

Internet gambling continues to be one of the several controversial internet areas on which the U.S. government is clarifying its position. This week, a Senate committee approved the “Kyl bill”, thereby sending it to the Senate for consideration*. The Kyl bill, proposed by Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona, is based on recommendations from the National Association of Attorney Generals working committee. One component of this bill, if passed, would provide penalties for operators of illegal internet gambling sites of fines up to $20,000 or the value of the total wagers placed (whichever is greater) and as many as four years... Read more →