This presentation will discuss the concept of shared responsibility as applied to the prevention of problem gambling, situating shared responsibility within a larger public health framework. After establishing problem gambling prevention as a responsibility that should be shared among gamblers, operators, and other stakeholders, it will answer three empirical questions: (1) Are beliefs about shared (versus individual-only and external-only) responsibility linked to gambling patterns, and if so how? (2) Do gamblers naturally tend to hold a shared responsibility viewpoint about the prevention of gambling harm? and (3) Does exposure to “responsible gambling” programming encourage a shared responsibility viewpoint? Dr. Gray will address these questions using data from three large-scale cross-sectional surveys. Finally, Dr. Gray will discuss implications for future prevention and intervention efforts.
Learning Objectives
- Participants will be able to articulate the shared, individual-only, and external-only viewpoints of problem gambling prevention
- Participants will be able to describe research findings regarding gamblers’ perceptions of responsibility for minimizing gambling harm
- Participants will be able to apply these concepts and findings to the development of innovative and effectiveness prevention/intervention strategies