Kim Hyoun S, Wohl Michael J A, Gupta Rina, Derevensky Jeffrey
University of Calgary , Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Carleton University , Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
J Behav Addict. 2016 Mar;5(1):115-121. doi: 10.1556/2006.5.2016.014.
Background and aims The potential link between social casino gaming and online gambling has raised considerable concerns among clinicians, researchers and policy makers. Unfortunately, however, there is a paucity of research examining this potential link, especially among young adults. This represents a significant gap given young adults are frequently exposed to and are players of social casino games. Methods To better understand the potential link between social casino games and online gambling, we conducted three focus groups (N = 30) at two large Canadian Universities with college students who were avid social media users (who are regularly exposed to social casino games). Results Many participants spontaneously mentioned that social casino games were a great opportunity to build gambling skills before playing for real money. Importantly, some participants expressed a belief that there is a direct progression from social casino gaming to online gambling. Conversely, others believed the transition to online gambling depended on a person's personality, rather than mere exposure to social casino games. While many young adults in our focus groups felt immune to the effects of social casino games, there was a general consensus that social casino games may facilitate the transition to online gambling among younger teenagers (i.e., 12-14 yr olds), due to the ease of accessibility and early exposure. Discussion The results of the present research point to the need for more study on the effects of social casino gambling as well as a discussion concerning regulation of social casino games in order to minimize their potential risks.
背景与目的 社交赌场游戏与网络赌博之间的潜在联系引起了临床医生、研究人员和政策制定者的广泛关注。然而，遗憾的是，针对这一潜在联系的研究匮乏，尤其是在年轻人中。鉴于年轻人经常接触并参与社交赌场游戏，这是一个重大的研究空白。方法 为了更好地理解社交赌场游戏与网络赌博之间的潜在联系，我们在加拿大两所大型大学对30名热衷于社交媒体（经常接触社交赌场游戏）的大学生进行了三个焦点小组访谈。结果 许多参与者自发提到，社交赌场游戏是在进行真钱赌博之前培养赌博技能的好机会。重要的是，一些参与者认为存在从社交赌场游戏直接过渡到网络赌博的情况。相反，其他人则认为向网络赌博的转变取决于个人性格，而不仅仅是接触社交赌场游戏。虽然我们焦点小组中的许多年轻人觉得自己对社交赌场游戏的影响具有免疫力，但普遍共识是，由于社交赌场游戏易于获取且年轻人接触较早，它们可能会促使年龄较小的青少年（即12 - 14岁）转向网络赌博。讨论 本研究结果表明，需要对社交赌场赌博的影响进行更多研究，并讨论对社交赌场游戏的监管，以尽量减少其潜在风险。
