Pre-commitment as a strategy for minimizing gambling-related harm

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Date
2010-07-08
Authors
Williams, Robert J.
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Abstract
Pre-commitment is a relatively new harm minimization strategy for problem gambling. To date, its primary use has been in casino self-exclusion programs, a few Internet gambling sites, and to limit landbased EGM play in a few jurisdictions. Empirical research on it is quite limited, but does tend to indicate that it holds significant promise as an additional technique to promote responsible gambling and to limit the harms associated with problem gambling. Drawing on the existing research, as well as lessons of problem gambling prevention research, it is reasonable to surmise that the degree to which precommitment is voluntary, revocable, exceedable, of short duration, available for just some EGMs or some Internet sites, available for just some forms of gambling, and does not use biometric ID, is the degree to which the technique is primarily of benefit to non-problem gamblers (which may or may not translate into a decreased future incidence of problem gambling). In contrast, the degree to which all avenues for excessive gambling have been closed, is the degree to which the technique likely has broader utility for problem and non-problem gamblers.
Description
Submission to Parliament of Australia Inquiry into pre-commitments scheme.
Keywords
Gambling -- Prevention , Compulsive gambling -- Prevention
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