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Abstract
Background and aims: The objective was to compare the gamblers’ profiles and practices depending on their preferred gambling activity, especially for two structural characteristics: presence of skill and expected value linked to the game. Another objective was to compare the profiles between non-problem and problem gamblers, and especially to identify how they evolve once problem gambling has emerged. Methods: Six hundred twenty-eight non-problem and problem gamblers were assessed with a structured interview, including sociodemographic characteristics, gambling habits, DSM-IV criteria for pathological gambling, gambling-related cognitions, personality profile, psychiatric comorbidities and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. We used a stepwise logistic regression with backward elimination to compare gamblers’ profiles depending on: (1) the presence of skill in their favourite game, (2) the expected value of their favourite game. Each regression was performed twice, in non-problem and then in problem gamblers. Results: Contrary to what was expected, the gamblers’ profiles did not differ in gambling-related cognitions according to their chosen game, even at a problematic level of gambling. Problem gamblers of bank games of pure chance showed high levels of persistence and higher frequencies of suicidal risk, problem gamblers of bank games with an element on skill displayed more illegal acts, and gamblers of social games lost their cooperativeness profile on reaching a problematic level of gambling. Conclusions: Significant differences in the profiles of gamblers were identified based on their preferred gambling activity, especially in problem gamblers. Specific therapeutic and protective approaches which could be developed for these different profiles are proposed.
Acknowledgements
We wish to sincerely thank all the staff who contributed to this study (JEU group), for their valuable assistance and significant investment. A special thanks to those who collected the data. Members of the JEU Group are: Marie Grall-Bronnec, Gaëlle Challet-Bouju, Jean-Luc Vénisse, Lucia Romo, Cindy Legauffre, Caroline Dubertret, Irène Codina, Marc Valleur, Christophe Lançon, David Magalon, Marc Auriacombe, Mélina Fatséas, Jean-Marc Alexandre, Pierre-Michel Llorca, Isabelle Chéreau-Boudet, Michel Reynaud and Mohamed-Ali Gorsane. We also want to thank Olé Bjerg and Claude Boutin for their kind permission to reproduce their game classifications. This research was conducted at the initiative of and coordinated by the Clinical Investigation Unit BALANCED “BehaviorAL AddictioNs and ComplEx mood Disorders”of the University Hospital of Nantes, who is the sponsor of this study.
Funding sources
This study was supported by both the joint support of the French Inter-departmental Mission for the fight against drugs and drug addiction (MILDT) and the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM), as part of the call for research projects launched by these two organizations in 2007 [MIL08010], and a grant from the French Ministry of Health [PHRC 2009 - RCB 2008-A01188-47]. They had no role in the study design, collection, analysis or interpretation of the data, writing the manuscript, or the decision to submit the paper for publication.
Declaration of interest
JBH, SB, MV, DM, MF, ICB and MAG declare that they have no conflicts of interest. MGB, JLV, ML and GCB declare that the University Hospital of Nantes has received funding from gambling industry (FDJ and PMU) in the form of a sponsorship which supports the gambling section of the BALANCED Unit (the Reference Centre for Excessive Gambling). Scientific independence towards gambling industry operators is warranted. There were no constraints on publishing.