Understanding the psychology of mobile gambling: a behavioural synthesis
This manuscript reviews the extant literature on key issues related to mobile gambling and considers whether the potential risks of harm emerging from this platform are driven by pre-existing comorbidities or by psychological processes unique to mobile gambling. We propose an account based on associ...
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| Format: | Article |
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Wiley
2016
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/37871/ |
| _version_ | 1848801178007109632 |
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| author | James, Richard J.E. O'Malley, Claire Tunney, Richard J. |
| author_facet | James, Richard J.E. O'Malley, Claire Tunney, Richard J. |
| author_sort | James, Richard J.E. |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | This manuscript reviews the extant literature on key issues related to mobile gambling and considers whether the potential risks of harm emerging from this platform are driven by pre-existing comorbidities or by psychological processes unique to mobile gambling. We propose an account based on associative learning that suggests this form of gambling is likely to show distinctive features compared with other gambling technologies. Smartphones are a rapidly growing platform on which individuals can gamble using specifically designed applications, adapted websites or text messaging. This review considers how mobile phone use interacts with psychological processes relevant to gambling, the games users are likely to play on smartphones, and the interactions afforded by smartphones. Our interpretation of the evidence is that the schedules of reinforcement found in gambling interact with the ways in which people tend to use smartphones that may expedite the acquisition of maladaptive learned behaviours such as problem gambling. This account is consistent with existing theories and frameworks of problem gambling and has relevance to other forms of mobile phone use. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:33:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | nottingham-37871 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T21:03:19Z |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-378712025-09-09T14:21:55Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/37871/ Understanding the psychology of mobile gambling: a behavioural synthesis James, Richard J.E. O'Malley, Claire Tunney, Richard J. This manuscript reviews the extant literature on key issues related to mobile gambling and considers whether the potential risks of harm emerging from this platform are driven by pre-existing comorbidities or by psychological processes unique to mobile gambling. We propose an account based on associative learning that suggests this form of gambling is likely to show distinctive features compared with other gambling technologies. Smartphones are a rapidly growing platform on which individuals can gamble using specifically designed applications, adapted websites or text messaging. This review considers how mobile phone use interacts with psychological processes relevant to gambling, the games users are likely to play on smartphones, and the interactions afforded by smartphones. Our interpretation of the evidence is that the schedules of reinforcement found in gambling interact with the ways in which people tend to use smartphones that may expedite the acquisition of maladaptive learned behaviours such as problem gambling. This account is consistent with existing theories and frameworks of problem gambling and has relevance to other forms of mobile phone use. Wiley 2016-10-18 Article PeerReviewed James, Richard J.E., O'Malley, Claire and Tunney, Richard J. (2016) Understanding the psychology of mobile gambling: a behavioural synthesis. British Journal of Psychology . ISSN 2044-8295 mobile gambling; gambling; behaviour; learning; problem gambling http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bjop.12226 doi:10.1111/bjop.12226 doi:10.1111/bjop.12226 |
| spellingShingle | mobile gambling; gambling; behaviour; learning; problem gambling James, Richard J.E. O'Malley, Claire Tunney, Richard J. Understanding the psychology of mobile gambling: a behavioural synthesis |
| title | Understanding the psychology of mobile gambling: a behavioural synthesis |
| title_full | Understanding the psychology of mobile gambling: a behavioural synthesis |
| title_fullStr | Understanding the psychology of mobile gambling: a behavioural synthesis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Understanding the psychology of mobile gambling: a behavioural synthesis |
| title_short | Understanding the psychology of mobile gambling: a behavioural synthesis |
| title_sort | understanding the psychology of mobile gambling: a behavioural synthesis |
| topic | mobile gambling; gambling; behaviour; learning; problem gambling |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/37871/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/37871/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/37871/ |