Experimental Gambling Research Laboratory, School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, Bundaberg 4670, Australia.
College of Education, Psychology, and Social Work, Flinders University, Adelaide 5042, Australia.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Aug 26;19(17):10652. doi: 10.3390/ijerph191710652.
Simulated gambling, such as playing a virtual slot machine for points rather than money, is increasingly part of the online gaming experience for youth. This study aimed to examine (1) if youth participation in simulated gambling games is associated with participation in monetary gambling; (2) if youth participation in simulated gambling games is associated with increased risk of problematic gambling when controlling for breadth of monetary gambling (i.e., number of gambling forms); and (3) if monetary expenditure and time spent playing simulated gambling games increase the risk of problematic gambling. Two samples of Australians aged 12-17 years were recruited-826 respondents through an online panel aggregator (mean age 14.1 years) and 843 respondents through advertising (mean age 14.6 years). Aim 1 was addressed using chi-square and correlation analyses. Linear multiple regression analyses were conducted to address Aims 2 and 3. The findings in both samples supported the study's hypotheses-that (1) youth who play simulated gambling games are more likely to participate in monetary gambling, and that (2) participation and (3) time and money expenditure on simulated gambling are positively and independently associated with risk of problematic gambling when controlling for the number of monetary gambling forms, impulsivity, age and gender. To better protect young people, simulated gambling should, at minimum, emulate the consumer protection measures required for online gambling.
模拟赌博，例如玩虚拟老虎机赢取积分而非金钱，在年轻人的在线游戏体验中越来越普遍。本研究旨在检验：（1）年轻人参与模拟赌博游戏是否与参与金钱赌博有关；（2）在控制金钱赌博广度（即赌博形式的数量）的情况下，年轻人参与模拟赌博游戏是否与更高的赌博问题风险有关；（3）模拟赌博游戏的金钱支出和时间投入是否会增加赌博问题的风险。本研究招募了两个年龄在 12-17 岁的澳大利亚人样本——通过在线面板聚合器招募了 826 名受访者（平均年龄为 14.1 岁），通过广告招募了 843 名受访者（平均年龄为 14.6 岁）。采用卡方检验和相关分析来解决目标 1。线性多元回归分析用于解决目标 2 和 3。两个样本的结果均支持了研究假设，即：（1）玩模拟赌博游戏的年轻人更有可能参与金钱赌博；（2）参与模拟赌博以及（3）时间和金钱投入与赌博问题风险呈正相关且独立相关，而控制金钱赌博形式的数量、冲动性、年龄和性别。为了更好地保护年轻人，模拟赌博至少应该效仿在线赌博所需的消费者保护措施。
