Class Description
The widespread availability and growing accessibility of gambling has grown rapidly in recent years. From sports wagering to mobile forms of gambling to social casino games, revenue and popularity have increased quickly and were even accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Even the terminology of what defines gambling has shifted; platforms including day trading, esports wagering, and microtransactions within video games have stretched traditional thinking on definitions. In this class, we will uncover growing popular forms of gambling, discuss emergent trends and research in the blurring lines of gaming and gambling, and talk about what is being done to address the issues from a behavioral health perspective.
Learning Objectives
- Discuss at least two ways technology and platforms have shifted traditional definitions of gambling
- Name at least three recent trends in forms of gambling
- Recognize one revenue impact across specific emergent gambling trends
- Identify three legal and regulatory impacts of gaming/gambling convergence
- Identify three pieces of research on accessibility and impacts
- Compare at least four criteria of Internet Gaming Disorder and Gambling Disorder
- Describe at least two populations at greater risk for problematic behavior
- Recognize three methods being used to address emergent trends
- Apply at least one prevention/treatment practice in their professional/personal setting
Educational Goals
- Explore how advancements in technology have influenced gambling behaviors and trends in the gaming-gambling space
- Examine the convergence of gaming and gambling and its implications for risk behavior and public health
- Analyze the legal and regulatory challenges posed by emerging gaming-gambling trends and gaps in oversight
- Review research findings on the psychological effects of gaming-gambling mechanisms, including loot boxes and skill-based games
- Identify populations at higher risk for problem gaming and gambling and propose targeted interventions
- Develop strategies for prevention and treatment tailored to address the growing overlap of gaming and gambling behaviors
Outline
- Trends in Tech: Impacts on the Gambling Field: 20 minutes
- Uncovering the Convergence of Gaming and Gambling: 20 minutes
- Diving Deeper: Specific Trends: 15 minutes
- Legal and Regulatory Impacts: 15 minutes
- Emergent Research on Effects of Recent Trends: 15 minutes
- Connections with Internet Gaming Disorder and Gambling Disorder: 10 minutes
- Populations at Greater Risk: 15 minutes
- Addressing the Issues from Prevention to Treatment: 10 minutes