The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

The WAGER Vol. 9(39) - Hitting the Books… and the Tables Part 1: The Role of Information Source in Risky Decision-Making

A common premise of gambling problem prevention programs is that many people who run in to trouble because of their gambling simply don’t understand the odds of the game – they are not sufficiently well-educated to understand probability, or they have not learned that the odds favor the casinos to win in every game. This week and next week’s WAGERs review two articles challenging this commonly held premise and suggesting the opposite: those who are not given the exact odds of a game perform more cautiously (Hertwig, Barron, Weber, & Erev, 2004) and those who are better educated make riskier... Read more →

The WAGER Vol. 9(38) - Mahjong Meets Vegas: Renovating the gaming industry in Macao

Gambling was first introduced to the then Portuguese-run city of Macao in 1847 in an effort to reduce the economic impact of Britain’s siege of Hong Kong. Since then gambling has been a major source of revenue for Macao, generating more than 50% of its tax revenue in the 1990s. Sovereignty was returned to China in 1999, and currently, Macao is the only region in China where institutionalized gambling is permitted. Though the gambling industry has been carefully regulated through a government-sponsored monopoly since the 1930s, the government recently decided to open the industry to private investors in an effort... Read more →

The WAGER Vol. 9(37) - The Whole Picture: Psychosocial Predictors of Adolescent Gambling

In recent years, prolific research has unearthed an array of risk factors for gambling-related problems, but few studies have asked which risk factors are the most important or which risk factors should direct our prevention efforts. Answering these questions requires a comprehensive examination of risk factors for gambling-related problems to determine their relative contributions. In this WAGER, we report on a study by Langhinrichsen-Rohling et al. (2004) that used multivariate analysis to examine individual, family, and peer correlates of adolescent gambling. Researchers recruited a convenience sample of 1,846 students from three high schools, each located in a different state. Students... Read more →

The WAGER Vol. 9(36) - Risk factors for gambling problems: Are you in the minority?

Much gambling research has used treatment-seeking populations to study gambling problems and their correlates. Although this research targets late stage efforts to develop treatment for disordered gambling, equally important is research that targets early stage efforts to identify the precursors that make some people more likely than others to develop gambling problems. To better inform prevention efforts, we need information on risk factors for gambling-related problems in the general population. Assuring that interventions are appropriately targeted to high-risk groups can prevent problems from escalating to the point where treatment is needed. This week’s WAGER reviews a recent study (Welte, Barnes,... Read more →

The WAGER Vol. 9(35) - Treating the Source, the Symptoms, or the Correlates? Bupropion in the Treatment of Pathological Gambling

Chemical treatments abound in today’s society for almost any condition or perceived deficit. Whether it involves taking diet pills to lose weight, anti-depressants to fight the blues, or Ginkgo to improve memory, we often look to medication (of greater or lesser scientific merit) for a solution to our problems. However frivolously they have been used elsewhere, pharmacological treatments have had significant impact on the chemical addictions. Recovering heroin users have been taking methadone since the 1970’s and people who are trying to quit smoking can take Zyban to reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms. But what about treatment for pathological gambling... Read more →