Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Research Protocols
Date Submitted: Mar 27, 2025
Open Peer Review Period: Mar 28, 2025 - Apr 10, 2025
Date Accepted: Aug 31, 2025
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Effects of Prevention Messages for Electronic Gambling Machines on Behaviors and Cognitions: Protocol for a Two-Arm Stratified Block Randomised Controlled Study
ABSTRACT
Background:
Electronic Gambling Machines and online gambling are the reputedly most damaging gambling type from a public health perspective. Pop-up messages are often used as a responsible gambling (RG) measure to prevent harm for these screen-based types of gambling. Despite some evidence of effectiveness in the literature for these messages, limitations persist, among which low ecological validity is of particular concern.
Objective:
This study aims to test (1) the potential of pop-up messages as a prevention measure in a gambling setting, and (2) if this potential is moderated by characteristics of people exposed to the messages. Secondary objectives also tackle some fundamental assumptions of gambling studies conducted in a laboratory setting.
Methods:
This is a two-arm stratified block randomised controlled study. Eighty participants are recruited under the false pretense of evaluating the realism of a gambling session in a laboratory replicating a bar. Duplicity is also used to make participants believe that they are risking their own money during the experimentation (i.e. winnings and losses are real). Participants are randomised to one of the two arms in a 1:1 ratio: (1) Experimental group (regular gambling session with prevention pop-up messages presented on a fixed schedule; (2) Active control group (regular gambling session). Outcomes measures include behaviours, cognitive and emotional responses to the pop-up-messages. Believability of the gambling session’s realism is also evaluated.
Results:
Ethical approval was obtained from the Comités d’éthique de la recherche avec des êtres humains de l’Université Laval (CÉRUL; reference no 2020-076 A-1 / 27-05-2024). Recruitment began in February 2024 and was extended to conclude in December 2025. Study completion is expected in February 2026. No results are currently available.
Conclusions:
This study will provide new insights on the efficacy of pop-up messages as a prevention measure for gambling. Clinical Trial: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06341504; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06341504
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