Book Reviews by Alexander Blaszczynski
Papers by Alexander Blaszczynski
Gambling Disorder
The exact origins of gambling have faded into obscurity but its presence dates back to antiquity.... more The exact origins of gambling have faded into obscurity but its presence dates back to antiquity. Archaeological findings offer evidence of games of chance played circa 4000 years BC, with many forms laying the foundation for subsequent gambling where items of values were exchanged on the outcome of chance events. Societal acceptance of gambling has fluctuated from extremes of widespread indulgence to attempted suppression, the latter in response to the social and economic impacts of excessive gambling. In the early 1900s, psychological theories were applied in an attempt to explain excessive gambling and operationally define the condition as a clinical disorder. The inclusion of ‘pathological gambling’ within ICD-9 in 1975 and DSM-III in 1980 consolidated the clinical status of the disorder, but debate on symptomatology and its classification as an impulse control or addictive behaviour remains. Although traditionally the focus has been directed predominately towards establishing diagnostic criteria and developing instruments to measure prevalence rates, contemporary efforts are turning their attention to assessing gambling-related harms across the full spectrum of gambling behaviours. This is reflected in the growing use of the term ‘problem gambling’ to refer to gambling behaviour that is resulting in harm and is consistent with a wider public health harm minimization approach that complements the clinical management of gambling disorders.
International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction
Addiction
Background and aims Following the recognition of 'internet gaming disorder' (IGD) as a condition ... more Background and aims Following the recognition of 'internet gaming disorder' (IGD) as a condition requiring further study by the DSM-5, 'gaming disorder' (GD) was officially included as a diagnostic entity by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). However, the proposed diagnostic criteria for gaming disorder remain the subject of debate, and there has been no systematic attempt to integrate the views of different groups of experts. To achieve a more systematic agreement on this new disorder, this study employed the Delphi expert consensus method to obtain expert agreement on the diagnostic validity, clinical utility and prognostic value of the DSM-5 criteria and ICD-11 clinical guidelines for GD. Methods A total of 29 international experts with clinical and/or
International Gambling Studies
Computers in Human Behavior
International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction
Journal of Gambling Studies
International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction
Journal of Gambling Studies
International Gambling Studies
SUCHT
. Background: Tensions exist with various stakeholders facing competing interests in providing le... more . Background: Tensions exist with various stakeholders facing competing interests in providing legal land-based and online regulated gambling products. Threats to revenue/taxation occur in response to harm minimisation and responsible gambling policies. Setting aside the concept of total prohibition, the objectives of responsible gambling are to encourage and/or restrict an individual’s gambling expenditure in terms of money and time to personally affordable limits. Stakeholder responsibilities: Governments craft the gambling environment through legislation, monitor compliance with regulatory requirements, and receive taxation revenue as a proportion of expenditure. Industry operators on the other hand, compete across market sectors through marketing and advertising, and through the development of commercially innovative products, reaping substantial financial rewards. Concurrently, governments are driven to respond to community pressures to minimize the range of negative gambling-related social, personal and economic harms and costs. Industry operators are exposed to the same pressures but additionally overlaid with the self-interest of avoiding the imposition of more stringent restrictive policies. Cooperation of stakeholders: The resulting tension between taxation revenue and profit making, harm minimization, and social impacts creates a climate of conflict between all involved parties. Data-driven policies become compromised by unsubstantiated claims of, and counter claims against, the nature and extent of gambling-related harms, effectiveness of policy strategies, with allegations of bias and influence associated with researchers supported by industry and government research funding sources. Conclusion: To effectively advance policies, it is argued that it is imperative that all parties collaborate in a cooperative manner to achieve the objectives of responsible gambling and harm minimization. This extends to and includes more transparent funding for researchers from both government and industry. Continued reliance on data collected from analogue populations or volunteers participating in simulated gambling tasks will not provide data capable of valid and reliable extrapolation to real gamblers in real venues risking their own funds. Failure to adhere to principles of corporate responsibility and consumer protection by both governments and industry will challenge the social licence to offer gambling products. Appropriate and transparent safeguards learnt from the tobacco and alcohol field, it is argued, can guide the conduct of gambling research.
Gaming Law Review
Esports bettors may represent an emerging cohort of gamblers. Concerns have been expressed about ... more Esports bettors may represent an emerging cohort of gamblers. Concerns have been expressed about the vulnerability of these gamblers because of their young age and potential high engagement in Internet and game use. It is important to investigate whether esports bettors represent a cohort migrating to include other forms of gambling, or existing online gamblers adopting esports into their gambling repertoire. The current study aimed to specifically look at the overall gambling involvement and problem gambling severity of esports bettors as compared to sports bettors. An online survey of 501 Australian sports bettors (n=160 esports and sports; n=341 sports only) found that esports bettors participated in significantly more forms of gambling (breadth), and in each form more often (intensity). Esports bettors had significantly higher problem gambling severity scores on a self-report measure. These results are consistent with previous findings that Internet problem gamblers have a high overall gambling involvement. This study suggests that Australian online gamblers have adopted esports betting in addition to other gambling activities, rather than representing a new group of online gamblers. As esports betting is a relatively new product increasingly offered by licensed operators, ongoing research is needed to monitor trends in use. Online gambling sites should include play management tools and the ability to self-exclude from all online gambling forms offered and educational campaigns may be needed to educate consumers on the risks associated with high gambling involvement. Gainsbury-Breadth and intensity of gambling involvement and harms
International Gambling Studies
Gaming Law Review
Blockchain technology is an innovative framework that has the potential to transform transactions... more Blockchain technology is an innovative framework that has the potential to transform transactions and revolutionise how we interact and do business with one another. The technology behind cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, blockchain enables a record of transactions in a secure, protected ledger with a distributed, networked database structure, which is secured by hashing power. This allows transactions without any intermediary which are permanent, unalterable, anonymous but transparent and 'trustless' -occurring without the possibility of interference. Online gambling is the most rapidly growing mode of gambling; however, players are subject to regulatory restrictions, fraud and cheating by other players and disreputable operators, and reliant on third-parties to ensure that games and monetary transactions are fair. These systems, checks, and balances increase the cost of online gambling for consumers and operators and reduce options. Here, we show how blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies have the potential to transform the gambling industry for players, operators, and regulators. We have reviewed the relevant literature to provide an overview of the potential impacts of this new technology as it is rapidly developing. Gambling sites can accept cryptocurrency, allowing players to operate outside of regulatory jurisdictions as cryptocurrencies are not reliant on regulated payment providers. Cryptocurrency also allow funds to be directly transferred to and from operators, removing the necessity of creating an account and verifying identity. Games run on blockchain systems are provably fair, ensuring outcomes are determined as intended and without interference. Outcomes and transactions are verified, ensuring payments are directed to players or operators as appropriate and all records are transparent ensuring fairness. For players and operators this creates many options for online gambling; for regulators, it may enhance the ability to oversee online operators, or remove the need for regulation altogether. Blockchain technology is not yet at a point where it may be readily adopted and used widely. However, the transformative potential of this technology makes it essential Gainsbury -Blockchain technology & gambling that stakeholders start considering the ways in which the gambling field may be altered and what appropriate responses are required.
Addiction (Abingdon, England), Jan 15, 2017
Following the recent changes to the diagnostic category for addictive disorders in DSM-5, it is u... more Following the recent changes to the diagnostic category for addictive disorders in DSM-5, it is urgent to clarify what constitutes behavioural addiction to have a clear direction for future research and classification. However, in the years following the release of DSM-5, an expanding body of research has increasingly classified engagement in a wide range of common behaviours and leisure activities as possible behavioural addiction. If this expansion does not end, both the relevance and the credibility of the field of addictive disorders might be questioned, which may prompt a dismissive appraisal of the new DSM-5 subcategory for behavioural addiction. We propose an operational definition of behavioural addiction together with a number of exclusion criteria, to avoid pathologizing common behaviours and provide a common ground for further research. The definition and its exclusion criteria are clarified and justified by illustrating how these address a number of theoretical and metho...
The Journal of Sex Research, 2016
Some nonheterosexual individuals are eschewing lesbian/gay and bisexual identities for queer and ... more Some nonheterosexual individuals are eschewing lesbian/gay and bisexual identities for queer and pansexual identities. The present study aimed to examine the sexual and demographic characteristics of nonheterosexual individuals who adopt these labels. A convenience sample of 2,220 nonheterosexual (1,459 lesbian/gay, 413 bisexual, 168 queer, 146 pansexual, and 34 other "write-in") individuals were recruited for a cross-sectional online survey. In support of our hypotheses, those adopting pansexual identities were younger than those adopting lesbian, gay, and bisexual identities, and those adopting queer and pansexual identities were more likely to be noncisgender than cisgender, and more likely to be cisgender women than men. The majority of pansexual individuals demonstrated sexual orientation indices within the bisexual range, and showed equivalent patterns of sexual attraction, romantic attraction, sexual behavior, and partner gender as bisexual-identified men and women. In contrast, three-quarters of queer men, and more than half of queer women, reported sexual attraction in the homosexual range. This study found that rather than a general movement toward nontraditional sexual identities, queer and pansexual identities appear most appealing to nonheterosexual women and noncisgender individuals. These findings contribute important information regarding who adopts queer and pansexual identities in contemporary sexual minority populations.
Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 2015
This commentary proposes a complementary perspective to that developed by . The addiction-as-dise... more This commentary proposes a complementary perspective to that developed by . The addiction-as-disease approach tends to sideline explanatory factors of a psychosocial, cultural, political, or historical nature. I therefore suggest taking into account not only the personal characteristics (loss of self-control, impulsivity) related to the disease model, but also the social determinants of addictive behaviors (weak social ties, social exclusion, hyperindividualism, poverty, unemployment, etc.). Moreover, the disease model of addiction removes addictive behaviors from the cultural and historical contexts that shape them. I argue that the cultural and historical reasons for which certain factors (such as loss of self-control) became so important in the explanation of addictive behaviors should be more thoroughly considered.
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Book Reviews by Alexander Blaszczynski
Papers by Alexander Blaszczynski