The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

The WAGER Vol. 5(8) - A Four-Factor Framework for Pathological Gambling

Factor analysis allows us to break down a complex construct into its principal components. For example, through factor analysis, we might find that the construct of depression is made up of four factors: dysphoria, anhedonia, vegetative symptoms, and suicidality. By determining the principal components of a psychiatric disorder, we can better understand how it is similar to or different from other disorders. Steel and Blaszczynski (1996) used factor analysis to deconstruct pathological gambling disorder into its principal psychological components. They used a sample of 115 subjects (101 males / 14 females) drawn from a psychiatric hospital (n=80) and from Gamblers... Read more →

The WAGER Vol. 5(7) - Double Down: A Review

Half confessional and half family psychohistory, Double Down (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1999) describes itself as "reflections on gambling and loss." The protagonists and narrators are brothers Frederick and Steven Barthelme. The similarities between the two brothers, however, extend beyond the mere sharing of DNA. Both are accomplished writers, academics... and problem gamblers. Following the death of their mother (pictured on the cover), the Barthelmes started making regular trips to the Mississippi coast casinos. They would play blackjack all night long, arriving home in time to tend to their job responsibilities. Within a period of roughly two years, their combined... Read more →

The WAGER Vol. 5(6) - "Count Me Out:" Missouri's Voluntary Exclusion Program

Bounded by two of America's largest waterways and located in the heart of the nation, Missouri is home to an understandably popular riverboat casino industry. Since the legalization of riverboat gambling, Missouri has taken several steps to help treat and prevent pathological gambling and a permanent fund to support treatment efforts has been established in its Department of Mental Health. One of the more innovative of these measures is the creation of a "voluntary exclusion" law. The provisions of this rule allow problem gamblers to add themselves voluntarily to a statewide list of "dissociated persons." Persons on this list agree... Read more →

The WAGER Vol. 5(5) - Talking Back: Readers Choose the Gambling-Related Event of the Century

In the last WAGER of the former millennium, we posed a question to our readers: "In your opinion, which of the following events has had the greatest impact on gambling and its consequences during the last 100 years?" Now that Y2K has come and gone, we are pleased to present the results in the figure below. In first and second place, respectively, are the legalization of gambling in Nevada and the establishment of the New Hamphire state lottery. It is not surprising that these events were heavily endorsed; both represent the beginning of the end of prohibition-based public policy. The... Read more →