Examination of the cue-reactivity of reports of gambling wins

Abstract

The present study explored the cue-reactivity associated with reports of gambling wins. A 61-item questionnaire administered via the Internet collected information on gambling behaviours, effects of reports of large gambling wins, and thoughts that might underlie either the activation or the inhibition of gambling behaviour in response to these reports. The sample consisted of 46 females and 135 males (one individual not indicating gender) for a total of 182 respondents, with mean age of 32.3 years. Reports of wins from friends or relatives and those that were read, elicited significantly stronger urges to gamble than stories of wins on television. Gamblers were most likely to act on urges to gamble because of emotional reasons such as, “I just feel the urge to gamble” and “I really want to win a similar amount”. Finally, individuals who exhibit pathological gambling behaviours were more susceptible to feeling urges after hearing about the reports of other people’s wins and were more likely to report acting on these urges.