S p o tlig ht o n P o sitive P lay
Dr Richard Wood, President, GamRes Limited
W hat is R e sp o nsib le
G am b ling ?
• Many people perceive RG as
• The policies and actions of gaming operators
and regulators
• A field of research (mostly on –ve aspects)
• Something we want to encourage amongst
players
“Gambling should be
responsible
and fun!”
Defining Responsible
Gambling
• Focus on the actions of gaming operators
(e.g., Reno Model)
Defining Responsible
Gambling
• Focus on the actions of gaming operators
“Responsible
gambling
refers to policies and practices designed to
(e.g., Reno
Model)
prevent and reduce potential harms associated with gambling;
these policies and practices often incorporate a diverse range of
interventions designed to promote consumer protection,
community/ consumer awareness and education, and access to
efficacious treatment.”
(Blasczczynski, Ladouceur, & Shaffer (2004)
What is positive play?
• RG with a player facing perspective (Wood & Griffiths, 2015)
• Using the right language
• Focuses on maximising healthy and happy playing
experiences (not just fixing problems)
not
Reframing Responsible Gambling
• Focusing on the player perspective
Reframing Responsible Gambling
• Focusing on the player perspective
“Responsible gambling is when a player exhibits positive playing behaviour
and holds attitudes and beliefs that do not put them at risk for developing
gambling problems. More specifically, this means only spending what is
affordable to lose and sticking to personally allocated spend and time limits
(formal or informal). Responsible gambling includes honesty and openness
with self and others about personal gambling involvement. Belief in luck or
other superstitions may be present, but they do not have a significant
negative impact on play. There is recognition that gambling will always
involve some degree of chance.” (Wood, Wohl & Kim 2015)
(Wood & Griffiths, 2014)
N = 1484 +ve players
Fun
65.5%
Entertainment
68.4%
Win prize
Upset
4.3%*
96% large, 91.4% small
Depressed
7.6%*
Bored
21.2%*
Relax
30.6%*
Excitement
60.8%*
Social
36.5%*
* signif assoc with PG
Two sub-groups of positive players
(Wood & Griffiths, 2014)
N = 1484 +ve players
Casual dreamers 63%
Win big prize
Less likely to gamble
Less likely to use RG tools
Average age 49
Spend
limit
Small
prize
Indiv
resp
Responsible
Thrill
Seekers 28%
Play more
Enjoy experience
More RG tools
Average age 41
Measuring positive play
•
•
•
•
•
No standardised way to measure +ve changes
Prevalence studies only focus on –ve play
Measuring +ve play shows more subtle changes
Measure and optimise success of RG strategy
Segment RG strategy
(Wood, Wohl, Philander, Tabri, 2016)
Positive Play Scale: Items
In the last month….......
I felt in control of my gambling behaviour.
I gambled to forget about problems in my life.
Behaviour 1 (honesty and control)
I was honest with my family and/or friends about the
amount of MONEY I spent gambling.
I experienced bad thoughts about my gambling when
I WASN'T playing.
I was honest with my family and/or friends about the
amount of TIME I spent gambling.
I only gambled with MONEY that I could afford to lose.
Behaviour 2 (Pre-commitment)
I only spent TIME gambling that I could afford to
spend.
I considered the amount of MONEY I was willing to
lose BEFORE I gambled.
I considered the amount of TIME I was willing to
spend BEFORE I gambled.
(Wood, Wohl, Philander, Tabri, 2016)
Positive Play Scale: Items
I believe that….......
I should be able to walk away from gambling at any
time.
Beliefs 1 (personal responsibility)
I should be aware of how much MONEY I spend when
I gamble.
It’s my responsibility to spend only money that I can
afford to lose.
I should only gamble when I have enough money to
cover all my bills first.
I should consider gambling as a form of
entertainment.
Gambling is not a good way to make money.
Beliefs 2 (positive accurate beliefs)
My chances of winning get better after I have lost.
If I gamble more often, it will help me to win more
than I lose.
Gambling to forget my problems is a bad idea.
S um m ary
Positive play is responsible gambling with a
player perspective (what we want players to do)
Positive play focuses on the majority of players
to learn more about their play
Positive play tries to encourage rather than warn
Positive Play Scale allows us to measure healthy
gambling
Questions?
richard@gamres.org
www.gamres.org