Youth gambling and the Internet: The good, the bad and the ugly Jeffrey L. Derevensky, Ph.D. Professor, School/Applied Child Psychology Professor, Psychiatry McGill University International Centre for Youth Gambling Problems and High-Risk Behaviors Alberta Gambling Research Institute Annual Conference March, 2009

Is gambling dangerous??

David Schwartz (UNLV) Bo Bernhard (UNLV) Colin Campbell (Douglas College) Nelson Rose (Whittier Law School) History of Internet gambling Robert Wood and Rob Williams (U of Lethbridge) Sally Monaghan (U of Sydney) History & evolution of gambling

Internet gambling on anything

The appeal of the Internet…

Celebrity endorsements….

Prevalence Findings of Internet Wagering Vary considerably Dependent upon method & date of data collection Dependent upon population studied Difficulties collecting data have been articulated by Wood & Williams (2009)

Adolescent Internet use…

Internet Use Media Awareness Network, 2009 In Canada, 99% of youth age 9-17 reported use of Internet, 94% have Internet access at home; 61% report having high speed access 37% report having their own Internet connections 89% of grade 4 school students play games on the Internet Where no household rules exist for Internet use, 74% report an adult was never present when the child was on the Internet 94% of students’ top 50 Internet sites include marketing material Large percentage of adolescents report observing Internet gambling pop-up messages & believe they were the target (Derevensky et al., 2008)

What we know about the Internet Access is widespread Access is inexpensive Internet is anonymous Internet is convenient Internet is entertaining Internet is used for many purposes

Two Internet gambling studies

Gambling Severity by Gender and Age N = 2292 Gambling Groups 1 Non Gambler (n = 745) Social Gambler a (n = 1333) At-Risk Gambler b (n = 139) Probable Pathological Gambler c (n = 75) Gender*** Malen = Femalen = Age*** yearsn = yearsn = yearsn = yearsn = yearsn = > 25 yearsn = Total Percentage. Gambling Groups are based on DSM-IV and DSM-IV-MR scores. a DSM-IV score (0-2); DSM-IV-MR-J score (0-1). b DSM-IV score (3-4); DSM-IV-MR-J score (2-3). c DSM-IV score ( ≥5); DSM-IV-MR-J score (≥4). *** p<.001.

Gambling Severity by Age Group N = 2292 Gambling Groups 1 Non Gambler (n = 745) Social Gambler a (n = 1333) At-Risk Gambler b (n = 139) Probable Pathological Gambler c (n = 75) Age Group*** Under 18 years n = and over n = Total Percentage. Gambling Groups are based on DSM-IV and DSM-IV-MR scores. a DSM-IV score (0-2); DSM-IV-MR-J score (0-1). b DSM-IV score (3-4); DSM-IV-MR-J score (2-3). c DSM-IV score ( ≥5); DSM-IV-MR-J score (≥4). *** p<.001.

Frequency of Play on Internet Gambling Games Without Money by Gender and Age N = 2679 Frequency of Play Never (%) Occasionally a (%) Regularly b (%) Daily c (%) Gender** Malen = Femalen = Age*** yearsn = yearsn = yearsn = yearsn = yearsn = > 25 yearsn = Total Percentage. a Less than once a week. b Once a week or more. c Once a day or more. *** p<.001. ** p<.05.

Frequency of Play on Internet Gambling Sites Without Money in the Past 12 Months by Gambling Severity N = 2205 Internet Gambling Without Money 1 Yes (n = 1082) No (n = 1123) Gambling Groups*** Non Gamblern = Social Gamblern = At-Risk Gamblern = Probable Pathological Gambler n = Total Percentage. *** p<.001.

Frequency of Play on Internet Gambling Sites With Money in the Past 12 Months by Gambling Severity N = 2292 Internet Gambling With Money 1 Yes (n = 183) No (n = 2109) Gambling Groups*** Non Gamblern = Social Gamblern = At-Risk Gamblern = Probable Pathological Gambler n = Total8.0* Percentage *13.1% males; 4.6% females are gambling on Internet

Average Amount of Money Spent on Internet Gambling in the Last 12 Months by Gender and Age Amount of Money Spent < $50$50-$100$100-$500> $500 Gender*** Males Females Age years years years years years > 25 years Percentage.

Average Amount of Money Spent on Internet Gambling in the Last 12 Months by Gambling Severity N=2291 Amount of Money Spent < $50$50-$100$100-$500> $500 Gambling*** Groups Social Gambler At-Risk Gambler Probable Pathological Gambler Percentage.

Most Money Wagered in One Internet Gambling Session by Gender and Age Amount of Money Wagered < $50$50-$100$100-$500> $500 Gender*** Males Females Age years years years years years > 25 years Percentage.

Most Money Wagered in One Internet Gambling Session by Gambling Severity Amount of Money Wagered < $50$50-$100$100-$500> $500 Gambling*** Groups Social Gambler At-Risk Gambler Probable Pathological Gambler Percentage.

Most Money Won in One Internet Gambling Session by Gender and Age Amount of Money Won < $50$50-$100$100-$500> $500 Gender*** Males Females Age years years years years years > 25 years Percentage.

Most Money Won in One Internet Gambling Session by Gambling Severity Amount of Money Won < $50 $50- $100 $100- $500 > $500 Gambling*** Groups Social Gambler At-Risk Gambler Probable Pathological Gambler Percentage.

Most Money Lost in One Internet Gambling Session by Gender and Age Amount of Money Lost < $50$50-$100$100-$500> $500 Gender*** Males Females Age years years years years years > 25 years Percentage.

Most Money Lost in One Internet Gambling Session by Gambling Group Amount of Money Lost < $50$50-$100$100-$500> $500 Gambling*** Groups Social Gambler At-Risk Gambler Probable Pathological Gambler Percentage.

Age of Onset for Internet Gambling Without Money by Gambling Severity 1 Percentage. Gambling Groups are based on DSM-IV and DSM-IV-MR scores. a DSM-IV score (0-2); DSM-IV-MR-J score (0-1). b DSM-IV score (3-4); DSM-IV-MR-J score (2-3). c DSM-IV score ( ≥5); DSM-IV-MR-J score (≥4). *** p<.001. Gambling Groups 1 Social Gambler a (n = 1333) At-Risk Gambler b (n = 138) Probable Pathological Gambler c (n = 72) Age*** Under 10 years years years years years Over 18 years

Age of Onset for Internet Gambling With Money by Gambling Severity Gambling Groups 1 Social Gambler a (n = 1333) At-Risk Gambler b (n = 138) Probable Pathological Gambler c (n = 72) Age*** Under 10 yearsn = yearsn = yearsn = yearsn = yearsn = Over 18 yearsn = Percentage. Gambling Groups are based on DSM-IV and DSM-IV-MR scores. a DSM-IV score (0-2); DSM-IV-MR-J score (0-1). b DSM-IV score (3-4); DSM-IV-MR-J score (2-3). c DSM-IV score ( ≥5); DSM-IV-MR-J score (≥4). *** p<.001.

Follow-up study (McBride & Derevensky, 2007) Montreal high-school students: N = 1113 Canadian and U.S. college and university students: N = 1273 On-line gaming newsletter link: N = 546

Past year gambling

Past-Year Gambling Frequencies

Use of “Demo/Practice” Sites

“Demo/Practice” Site Frequency

“Demo/Practice” Activities

Gambling for Money on Internet

Gambling for Money on Internet Frequency

Internet Sample Online Gambling Activities

Gambling Severity by Sample

Internet Sample of Problem Gamblers

Reasons Youth Gamble on Internet

Reasons Youth Don’t Gamble on Internet

How Youth Are Paying

Facts & Concerns

Internet Gambling Provides a form of entertainment Enhances levels of excitement and arousal Provides an opportunity to win money Younger generation of teens very attracted to Internet gambling sights Practice sights are exceedingly popular amongst problem gamblers-age of onset is before 13 Adolescents are gambling on the net, occasionally Over 10% of problem gamblers spent over $500 on Internet gambling Sites are widely advertised

Internet Gambling Offers free games and trial (practice) sites Incorporates video-game technology Reward and loyalty programs Initial deposit bonuses Bettor’s Insurance Graphics add to the excitement of the game Perceived elements of skill Convenience and ease of access Allows individuals to lie about their age Allows underage youth to gamble on prohibited activities Reinforcement schedules are quick

Gambling for money on the Internet 9% of high school students have gambled for money on the Internet –13% of males, 6% of females 6% of College and University students have gambled for money on the Internet –11% of males, 3% of females 42% of the Internet sample have gambled for money on the Internet –53% of males, 20% of females –70% at least weekly

Conclusions Playing on Internet gambling sites without money is a common practice amongst adolescents and young adults At-Risk and PPGs play on Internet with and without money more often than non-gamblers and social gamblers Internet wagers for money increases with severity of gambling problems Most money won and lost increases by gambling severity

Gambling sites permitting playing without money have been shown to –have differential payout rates –represent breeding ground for future players Much Internet wagering incorporates videogame technology Recent studies suggest young male adults are more likely to engage in Internet gambling

….. a fourth wave of gambling

significant expansion of Internet gambling greater government regulation, ownership & taxation likely see new innovative harm minimization efforts including technological advances (e.g. Techlink & biometric devices) more gambling problems emerging more research and hopefully collaborative research efforts potential for future problems amongst youth remains high use of gambling blocking software may be advisable

regulated, grey market, dark grey/black market sites young adults highest risk group we will see other forms of Internet wagering including mobile gambling, interactive t.v. gambling has become normalized sensitizing parents