Exploring a multidimensional concept of loss chasing using online sports betting records

ABSTRACT

Loss chasing is considered a defining marker, and potential risk factor, for problematic gambling. However, there have been few efforts to identify loss chasing behaviors among actual gamblers. Loss chasing also is not well defined, and often measured along a single behavioral dimension. In this study, we propose a novel multidimensional concept of loss chasing grounded in three betting domains (bet size, betting odds, time between bets). Using actual sports gambling records from a major European operator, we calculated bettors’ (N = 12,992) loss chasing during their first month of activity. We created binary high/low groups for each loss chasing dimension. Membership in various combinations of ‘high’ groups was diverse, and none of the raw loss chasing metrics were highly correlated with one another. We assessed each high group’s (and sum of high group’s) ability to predict mounting losses over the following months of activity. Only one of these groups (bet size), was positively predictive of mounting losses in bivariate analysis, and none of the loss chasing groups were significant in multivariate analysis. Results suggest that loss chasing is a multidimensional concept, but the potential value of a multidimensional loss chasing concept in terms of predicting gambling harm is unclear.

KEYWORDS:

• Loss chasing
• chasing losses
• sports gambling
• losses
• gambling harm

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the data teams at Entain for their assistance in providing the data.

Disclosure statement

The Division on Addiction currently receives funding from DraftKings, Inc., a sports betting and gaming company; Entain PLC (formally GVC Holdings PLC), a sports betting and gambling company; Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility, a not-for-profit organization founded and funded by a group of distillers; International Center for Responsible Gaming; Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Office of Problem Gambling Services via Health Resources in Action; National Academy of Medicine; and National Institutes of Health (National Institutes of General Medical Sciences, and Drug Abuse, and Mental Health) via The Healing Lodge of the Seven Nations. During the past five years, Timothy C. Edson has provided paid consulting services on player safety programs for Premier Lotteries Ireland. During the past five years, Eric R. Louderback has been financially supported by a Dean’s Research Fellowship from the University of Miami College of Arts & Sciences, who also provided funds to present at academic conferences. He has received travel support funds from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem to present research findings, has provided paid consulting services on player safety programs for Premier Lotteries Ireland, has received speaker honoraria fees from the International Center for Responsible Gaming (ICRG), and has received travel reimbursement and speaker honoraria fees from the Responsible Gaming Association of New Mexico. During the past five years, Matthew A. Tom received support from the International Center for Responsible Gambling (ICRG). During the past five years, Debi A. LaPlante has served as a paid grant reviewer for the National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG; now International Center for Responsible Gaming), received travel funds, speaker honoraria, and a scientific achievement award from the ICRG, has received speaker honoraria and travel support from the National Collegiate Athletic Association, received honoraria funds for preparation of a book chapter from Universite Laval and for an invited Raschkowan webinar from McGill University, received publication royalty fees from the American Psychological Association, and received course royalty fees from the Harvard Medical School Department of Continuing Education. Dr. LaPlante was a non-paid member of the Conscious Gaming advisory board and is a non-paid member of the New Hampshire Council for Responsible Gambling. Seth P. McCullock has no disclosures to report.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, upon reasonable request.

Open scholarship

This article has earned the Center for Open Science badge for Preregistered. The materials are openly accessible at (https://osf.io/4jyxn/).

Ethical approval

The Cambridge Health Alliance Institutional Review Board made the determination that this research is exempt from review.

Ethical statement

This research complied with ethical research standards. The Cambridge Health Alliance IRB determined this study was exempt from IRB review. Data were transferred via secure FTP from bwin to the Cambridge Health Alliance Division on Addiction.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/14459795.2023.2276741.

Additional information

Funding

This manuscript was supported by a research contract between the Division on Addiction and Entain PLC. Entain is a large international gambling and online gambling operator. Entain had no involvement with the development of the research questions or protocol, the data collection/analysis, or development of this manuscript.

Notes on contributors

Timothy C. Edson

Timothy C. Edson, PhD is an Instructor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and a Research & Evaluation Scientist at the Cambridge Health Alliance Division on Addiction. His main research interests include understanding the causes and consequences of irrational and risky human behavior, especially as it relates to addiction.

Eric R. Louderback

Eric R. Louderback, Ph.D. is an Instructor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Research & Evaluation Scientist at the Division on Addiction, Cambridge Health Alliance, a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital. He has expertise in diverse areas including quantitative risk assessment models for online gambling, responsible gambling program evaluation, geospatial mapping approaches using GIS, and open science methods.

Matthew A. Tom

Matthew A. Tom, Ph.D. is a research associate in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and a Research Data Analyst at the Division on Addiction, Cambridge Health Alliance, a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital. Dr. Tom’s research interests include the study of gambling behavior and the detection of problems with gambling.

Seth P. McCullock

Seth McCullock, Ph.D. is Research & Evaluation Scientist at the Division on Addiction, Cambridge Health Alliance, a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital. His research interests include effective messaging practices, and bringing best practices for messaging from the field of communications research to gambling studies.

Debi A. LaPlante

Debi LaPlante, Ph.D. is Director of the Division on Addiction at Cambridge Health Alliance and an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. Dr. LaPlante is interested in the epidemiology of gambling and gambling-related problems, and addiction studies.