Principal Investigator: Timothy Edson, PhD
Funder: International Center for Responsible Gaming
Timeline: 2024 – 2026
Loss chasing is considered to be a defining marker of emerging problem gambling, and one of the few criterions of Gambling Disorder that can be conceivably identified and tracked in online gambling environments. However empirical research examining ecologically valid concepts of loss chasing is currently limited as most have tended to posit unidimensional definitions of chasing grounded in a single gambling behavior. Using large datasets of online sports gambling and daily fantasy sports (DFS) playing records, we will conduct a series of studies seeking to advance the assessment of a multidimensional definition of loss chasing in online gambling environments. Focusing on diverse harm outcomes, including (1) percent change in net loss, (2) loss trajectory, and (3) voluntary self-exclusion, we will assess the predictive power of multidimensional loss chasing in the context of (1) diminishing returns for prediction, which could indicate a ceiling effect for the predictive value of loss chasing behavior, (2) temporal reference points for loss chasing decisions, which could determine loss chasing’s greatest predictive relationship with harm outcomes, and (3) starting gambling behaviors (aka, coming in hot), which could limit the predictive value of loss chasing behavior for some people who gamble. This research represents a broader effort to develop and refine multidimensional markers for risk of problem gambling, in order to strengthen overall risk detection and prevent harm, especially in online gambling environments.