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Abstract Gambling is a universal activity, although not a recently studied behavior in Sociological literature. This study uses symbolic interaction, play, and illusion of control theories to examine luck rituals at casino slots. Gamblers were observed through covert participant observations over a seven-month observation period in The casino, and yielded 388 observations. Analysis of the gamblers demonstrated the fact that luck rituals do exist and are used at the slot machines in a casino setting. Luck rituals are associated with participants’ belief in their ability to control the uncontrollable. The illusion of control provides a framework through which the results are discussed. Illusions of control are particularly likely to occur in situations with a high amount of uncertainty. This study showed that more women and African Americans participate in luck rituals than men.

Thesis advisor: Richard McGowan / This thesis will try to determine whether any state could benefit from the introduction of casino gambling, and if so, how much extra funds could be expected. Massachusetts residents spend an estimated $620 million at Connecticut's two casinos -- Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun, and they are dropping an additional $726 million at out-of-state gambling facilities each year. If this sum were to be spent in-state, Massachusetts would be able to reap a significant percentage of that amount for its state revenues. The same can be said for Rhode Island. West Warwick, Rhode Island is merely 45 minutes away from Foxwoods, and Mohegan Sun is about an hour away, and for a state with a huge deficit, the profit that RI could reap from an instate casino could make the introduction of casinos a worthwhile venture. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2003. / Submitted to: Boston College. Carroll School of Management. / Discipline: Operations and Strategic Management. / Discipline: College Honors Program.

While a growing body of evidence suggests health-related behaviors, such as problem and pathological gambling, are affected by multiple levels of influence, gambling studies using an ecological approach have not been documented. This dissertation work, that contains three studies, contributes to fill such research gap by examining gamblers' behaviors in formal treatment programs using an ecological approach. In study 1, the influences of the environmental and individual level factors on the treatment completion is examined. Previous studies have shown that treatment completion has a positive impact on the recovery path from gambling problems. In study 2 and study 3, interpersonal communication between gamblers and their social support networks is explored. More specifically, these two studies focus on understanding of the disclosure of gambling problems using the Integrated Model of Health Disclosure Decision-making. These two studies are significant because this may be the first attempt in gambling studies to explore disclosure of gambling problems. Disclosure may be a necessary step to ameliorate the negative consequences of gambling by creating or reinforcing gamblers' social support network. Each of these studies uses a distinctive dataset and methodology. Study 1 uses the Iowa Gambling Treatment Outcome system data from 2005 to 2011 from the Iowa Department of Public Health. Study 2 uses the 2011 Iowa Gambling Attitude and Experiences survey data, which included questions designed specifically for gambling disclosure. Study 3 is based on qualitative data (interviews) collected from gamblers who disclosed their gambling problems within their social support network. Results from study 1 based on a generalized linear mixed model suggest that self-reported past behavior of either reducing or quitting gambling behavior has a significant effect on treatment plan completion. Also, gamblers admitted to large treatment agencies that served mostly in urban areas are less likely to complete the treatment plan compared to gamblers admitted in any other type of agencies in urban or rural areas. In study 2, path analysis was performed to examine the disclosure of gambling problems within gamblers' social support network. Severity of gambling was the only significant predictor of disclosure. Study 3 found that the factors that affected disclosure are confrontation, gambling losses, stigma, trust, non-judgmental receivers, and close and long relationship. Outcomes expectations and past experience were also important in disclosure. Disclosures did not have substantial consequences for the size and strength of ties in their social support group, suggesting disclosures did not harm or strengthen relationships. Study 2 and study 3 both suggest that as gambling addiction become more severe, signs of gambling problems could be more visible to the members of social support groups. This may lead to disclosure of gambling problems through confrontations initiated by a friend or family member.

There is growing research evidence and public concern over the burgeoning of disorders which share common features with substance addictions. In order to investigate the presence and role of addiction features in disorders outside of substance addictions, symptoms of addiction were explored within three addiction groups: alcohol dependence (AD), an established addiction (n = 24); pathological gambling (PG) a disorder with growing empirical support as an addiction (n = 20); and compulsive shopping (CS), a proposed 'novel' addiction(n = 20). Participants were recruited from either the general population, or from the Auckland Salvation Army Bridge residential alcohol and drug treatment programme; Salvation Army Oasis Gambling Service; Pacific Peoples Addiction Service Incorporated; or Te Kahui Hauora O Ngati Koata Trust. Participants completed a battery of self-report measures comprising a demographics questionnaire; Addictive Disorder Questionnaire (ADQ); anxiety and depression subscales of the Symptom Checklist 90 Revised (SCL-90R); Barratt Impulsivity Scale II-r; and substance specific adaptations of the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). Three general categories of addiction symptoms: physiological, salience and dyscontrol, were identified as broad aspects of addiction, common across all three groups. Measurable aspects of addiction, including impulsivity, obsessions, anxiety and depression were found to be endorsed similarly across the three addictions, irrespective of the severity of their addiction. Compulsions were found to be higher in the AD group. Higher anxiety was found to be correlated with higher addiction in the behavioural addictions (CS and PG), whereas depression and anxiety were associated with higher addiction severity in the AD group. The results provide support for broadening addiction diagnostic definitions, to be more encompassing of the psychological and physiological experiences of each symptom; and developing different diagnostic categories for non-substance addictions that reflect the severity of the addiction. Results also provide evidence for developmental phases of addiction, from an early 'hedonistic' impulsive phase, to a compulsive phase, in which increased dyscontrol, mood and anxiety, marks the severity of the addiction.

The aim of this study was to argue for a new conception of subjective control and then to devise psychometric scales to test this new conception in the area of gambling behaviour. The 'Subjective Control'scales were constructed using Michell's (1994a, 1998) theory of the ordinal determinable. After extensive pilot testing, these scales were administered to a participant sample consisting of 57 students, 104 in situ club EGM players and 49 self-referred problem gamblers. The data collected consisted of paired comparisons judgements, ratings and rank orders. The limitations of the findings were discussed and suggestions for future research were made. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Thesis (M.A.)--Carleton University (Canada), 2003. / Adviser: Warren Thorngate. Includes bibliographical references.

In Sweden, there has been a major change in the role of gambling during the 20th century. Gambling used to be morally and ethically unjustifiable and something to be fought, whereas gambling today is seen as a normal activity, not only accepted by the society, but in some situations something to be en-couraged. The attitude towards gambling is that it stimulates, motivates, encourages creativity, and also brings pleasure and excitement. It generates national incomes, supports organizational activities and has become an im-portant factor in the Swedish regional planning. Today our values concern-ing gambling are governed by the possible immorality that can arise around it, such as risk with illegal activity coupled to gambling and the increasing debate around problem gambling. The ‘normalisation’ of gambling creates new boundaries for what is to be seen as, and what is an acceptable level, of gambling. As a consequence each individual has been given the responsibil-ity to respect this level. New boundaries create series of conflicts associated to what is normal and what is not, and our society has to find an acceptable balance. We have to respect the individual, our individuality, our right to spend our money and leisure time in a way that suits us. On the other hand, the society has a responsibility towards its citizens to make sure gambling will have no negative social consequences. This dissertation studies Swedish parliament documentation on gambling applying Michel Foucault’s method of genealogy. Starting from his theory of power a description of the development of the Swedish debate on gambling is given. It thereby sheds light on the game of truth within a discourse as well as the disciplinary impact discourses have on society.

This experiment studied relapse by assessing the separate/combined effects of two instigators: alcohol cues and stress on the salience of alcohol/gambling target stimuli and inhibitory control in twelve male problem gamblers and twelve male comorbid drinker-gamblers. Our study day consisted of two test sessions. Subjects received alcohol (non-alcoholic beer) and/or stress (uncontrollable noise) in a counterbalanced method. Hypotheses were tested using computer-based tasks, including the modified Stroop, gambling-word Shift Task, and the conventional and modified Stop-Signal Tasks. Stimuli with incentive value divert attention (i.e., are salient) selectively based on their clinical relevance to the subject and the nature of the instigating factor – stress (expected negative reinforcement) vs. anticipation of alcohol (expected positive reinforcement). Results suggest that alcohol cues and stress have differing effects on incentive salience, and disinhibit behaviour in both pathological populations. These findings have the potential to facilitate treatment and improve understanding for relapse prevention in these subjects.

Pathological gambling is a serious disorder with lifetime prevalence between 1.1-3.5%. Evidence suggests commonalities in the neurochemical basis of pathological gambling and psychostimulant addiction. However, parallel effects of gambling and a stimulant drug have not been assessed in the same subjects. This study employed a cross-priming strategy in which 12 male pathological gamblers and 11 male controls were exposed to a 15-minute slot machine game and d-amphetamine (0.4 mg/kg). Subjective, cognitive, electrophysiological, and physiological responses were assessed. Gamblers reported greater desire to gamble after both reinforcers, when baseline motivation was controlled. Conversely, gamblers exhibited diminished cardiovascular response to amphetamine. Gamblers also exhibited decreased pre-pulse inhibition (impaired sensorimotor gating), and deficits on this index predicted greater post-amphetamine desire to gamble and decreased heart rate response to the dose. Results are consistent with possible dopaminergic sensitization in pathological gamblers, but also suggest that central noradrenergic receptor deficits contribute importantly to these effects.