Indigenous Gambling and Problem Gambling in Canada.

The present study provides a profile of Canadian Indigenous gambling and problem gambling using the 2018 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) (n = 23,952 adults; 1,324 Indigenous) and an online panel survey of 10,199 gamblers (n = 589 Indigenous). The relative popularity of different types of gambling was similar between Indigenous and non-Indigenous samples. However, there was higher Indigenous participation in electronic gambling machines (EGMs), bingo, instant lotteries, overall gambling and a higher rate of problem gambling (2.0% versus 0.5%). Variables predictive of Indigenous problem gambling were EGM participation, gambling fallacies, having a mental or substance use disorder, sports betting, and male gender. Compared to non-Indigenous problem gamblers, Indigenous problem gamblers had higher substance use and lower impulsivity. In general, variables predictive of Indigenous problem gambling were the same ones predictive of problem gambling in all populations, with elevated Indigenous problem gambling rates primarily being due to elevated rates of these generic risk factors. Many of these risk factors are modifiable. Particular consideration should be given to reducing the disproportionate concentration of EGMs in geographic areas having the highest concentration of Indigenous people and ameliorating the disadvantageous social conditions in this population that are conducive to mental health and substance use problems.

Gambling fallacies: Predicting problem gambling in a national sample.

Objective: The relationship between the level of gambling fallacy endorsement and type of gambler (nongambler, recreational gambler, at-risk gambler, and problem/pathological gambler) was assessed both concurrently and prospectively in a large national cohort of Canadian adults. Method: This cohort (n = 10,199 at baseline; 18-24 years, n = 481, 43% female; 25-34 years, n = 1,335, 62% female; 35-44 years, n = 1,543, 55% female, 45-54 years, n = 1,985, 58% female; 55-64 years, n = 2,459, 55% female; 65-74 years, n = 1,865, 44% female, 75+ years, n = 531, 43% female) was recruited from LEO, Leger Opinion's registered online panelists. The follow-up survey was completed by 55.9% of the cohort, 1 year after baseline. The full survey can be viewed at https://www.ucalgary.ca/research/national-gambling-study/. For the current study, scores on the Gambling Fallacies Measure, the Problem and Pathological Gambling Measure, Gambling Participation Instrument, and Impulsivity were analyzed. Results: There were three main findings. The first is that gambling fallacies are common in all categories of gamblers but somewhat more prevalent in problem and pathological gamblers. Second, the multivariate analysis determined that gambling fallacies are significant concurrent and prospective predictors of the problem/pathological gambling category, but not strong predictors relative to other variables. Third, problem gambling and heavier gambling involvement are also predictors of a future higher level of gambling fallacies. Conclusions: Collectively, these results show that gambling fallacies have some etiological relationship to problem gambling but are not the main cause of problem gambling and should not be the exclusive focus of problem gambling treatment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Predictors of gambling and problem gambling in Canada.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to provide an updated profile of gamblers and problem gamblers in Canada and to identify characteristics most strongly associated with problem gambling. METHODS: An assessment of gambling participation and problem gambling was included in the 2018 Canadian Community Health Survey and administered to 23,952 individuals 18 years and older. Descriptive statistics provided a demographic profile for each type of gambling involvement as well as category of gambler (non-gambler, non-problem gambler, at-risk gambler, problem gambler). A logistic regression identified characteristics that best distinguished problem from non-problem gamblers. RESULTS: Gambling participation and problem gambling both varied as a function of gender, income, educational attainment, and race/ethnicity. However, multivariate analysis identified electronic gambling machine (EGM) participation to be the primary predictor of problem gambling status, with race/ethnicity, presence of a mood disorder, male gender, casino table game participation, older age, a greater level of smoking, participation in speculative financial activity, instant lottery participation, lower household income, and lottery or raffle ticket participation providing additional predictive power. Provincial EGM density and EGM participation rates are also very strong predictors of provincial rates of at-risk and problem gambling. CONCLUSION: Problem gambling has a biopsychosocial etiology, determined by personal vulnerability factors combined with the presence of riskier types of gambling such as EGMs. Effective prevention requires a multifaceted approach, but constraints on the availability and operation of EGMs would likely have the greatest single public health benefit.

RéSUMé: OBJECTIFS: Présenter un profil actualisé des joueurs et des joueurs pathologiques au Canada et cerner les caractéristiques les plus fortement associées au jeu pathologique. MéTHODE: Une évaluation de la participation au jeu de hasard et du jeu pathologique figurant dans l'Enquête sur la santé dans les collectivités canadiennes de 2018 a été administrée à 23 952 personnes de 18 ans et plus. Le profil démographique de chaque type de participation au jeu de hasard et la catégorie de joueur (non-joueur, joueur non pathologique, joueur à risque, joueur pathologique) ont été établis par statistique descriptive. Une régression logistique a permis de cerner les caractéristiques qui distinguaient le mieux les joueurs pathologiques des joueurs non pathologiques. RéSULTATS: La participation au jeu de hasard et le jeu pathologique variaient tous les deux en fonction du sexe, du revenu, du niveau d'instruction et de la race/l'ethnicité. L'analyse multivariée a cependant déterminé que l'utilisation d'appareils électroniques de jeu (AÉJ) était la principale variable prédictive du jeu pathologique, et que la race/l'ethnicité, la présence d'un trouble de l'humeur, le sexe masculin, la participation aux jeux de table dans les casinos, l'âge avancé, le tabagisme important, la participation à des activités financières spéculatives, la participation aux loteries instantanées, le faible revenu du ménage et l'achat de billets de loterie ou de tirage au sort amélioraient le pouvoir de prédiction. La densité provinciale des AÉJ et les taux d'utilisation des AÉJ étaient aussi de très fortes variables prédictives des taux provinciaux de jeu à risque et de jeu pathologique. CONCLUSION: Le jeu pathologique présente une étiologie biopsychosociale déterminée par des facteurs de vulnérabilité personnels combinés à la présence de types de jeu de hasard plus risqués, comme les AÉJ. Une prévention efficace nécessite une démarche pluridimensionnelle, mais l'imposition de limites à la disponibilité et à l'utilisation des AÉJ serait probablement la solution la plus avantageuse sur le plan de la santé publique.

Gambling and Problem Gambling in Canada in 2018: Prevalence and Changes Since 2002.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to provide an updated profile of gambling and problem gambling in Canada and to examine how the rates and pattern of participation compare to 2002. METHOD: An assessment of gambling and problem gambling was included in the 2018 Canadian Community Health Survey and administered to 24,982 individuals aged 15 and older. The present analyses selected for adults (18+). RESULTS: A total of 66.2% of people reported engaging in some type of gambling in 2018, primarily lottery and/or raffle tickets, the only type in which the majority of Canadians participate. There are some significant interprovincial differences, with perhaps the most important one being the higher rate of electronic gambling machine (EGM) participation in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The overall pattern of gambling in 2018 is very similar to 2002, although participation is generally much lower in 2018, particularly for EGMs and bingo. Only 0.6% of the population were identified as problem gamblers in 2018, with an additional 2.7% being at-risk gamblers. There is no significant interprovincial variation in problem gambling rates. The interprovincial pattern of problem gambling in 2018 is also very similar to what was found in 2002 with the main difference being a 45% decrease in the overall prevalence of problem gambling. CONCLUSIONS: Gambling and problem gambling have both decreased in Canada from 2002 to 2018 although the provincial patterns are quite similar between the 2 time periods. Several mechanisms have likely collectively contributed to these declines. Decreases have also been reported in several other Western countries in recent years and have occurred despite the expansion of legal gambling opportunities, suggesting a degree of inoculation or adaptation in large parts of the population.

The relationship between gambling fallacies and problem gambling.

The cognitive model of problem gambling posits that erroneous gambling-related fallacies are key in the development and maintenance of problem gambling. However, this contention is based on cross-sectional rather than longitudinal associations between these constructs, and gambling fallacy instruments that may have inflated this associated by their inclusion of problem gambling symptomatology. The current research re-evaluates the relationship between problem gambling and gambling-specific erroneous cognitions in a 5-year longitudinal study of gambling using a psychometrically sound measure of erroneous gambling-related cognitions. The sample used in this study (n = 4,121) was recruited from the general population in Ontario, Canada, and the retention rate over 5 years was exceptionally high (93.9%). The total sample was similar, in age and gender distributions, to the census data at the time of data collection for Canadian adults (18-24 years, n = 265, 55.8% female; 25-44 years, n = 1,667, 56.4% female; 45-64 years, n = 1,731, 55.4% female; 65 + years, n = 458, 44.75% female). Results of both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses confirm that gambling-specific fallacies appear to be etiologically related to the subsequent appearance of problem gambling, but to a weaker degree than previously presumed, and in a bidirectional manner. (PsycINFO Database Record

Development and Validation of the Poker Skills Measure (PSM).

Existing research has demonstrated that poker is a game predominated by skill. Little is known about the specific characteristics of good poker players however, likely due in part to the lack of a readily available measure of poker skill. In the absence of an available and easily administered poker skill measure, laboratory studies of poker player attributes have used questionable methodologies to assess skill including peer- and self-report. The aim of the current research was to create a valid, reliable, and easily administered measure of poker playing skill. A sample of 100 University of Lethbridge undergraduate students and Lethbridge community members completed the newly created Poker Skills Measure (PSM) and an objective measure of poker playing performance (playing virtual poker). External validity of the measure was demonstrated via significant associations­expected and detected­between the PSM and the objective playing measure. Specifically, significant positive associations were found between PSM scores and hands won, pre- and post flop aggression, and a significant negative relationship was detected between PSM scores and number of hands played. Within the current sample, acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach's α = .82) and very good test re-test reliability (r = .78) was achieved with the 35 item PSM. Future directions are discussed.

Prospective memory, personality, and individual differences.

A number of studies investigating the relationship between personality and prospective memory (ProM) have appeared during the last decade. However, a review of these studies reveals little consistency in their findings and conclusions. To clarify the relationship between ProM and personality, we conducted two studies: a meta-analysis of prior research investigating the relationships between ProM and personality, and a study with 378 participants examining the relationships between ProM, personality, verbal intelligence, and retrospective memory. Our review of prior research revealed great variability in the measures used to assess ProM, and in the methodological quality of prior research; these two factors may partially explain inconsistent findings in the literature. Overall, the meta-analysis revealed very weak correlations (rs ranging from 0.09 to 0.10) between ProM and three of the Big Five factors: Openness, Conscientiousness, and Agreeableness. Our experimental study showed that ProM performance was related to individual differences such as verbal intelligence as well as to personality factors and that the relationship between ProM and personality factors depends on the ProM subdomain. In combination, the two studies suggest that ProM performance is relatively weakly related to personality factors and more strongly related to individual differences in cognitive factors.