Abstract
Thai lottery gamblers won prizes after betting on numbers they obtained from newspaper stories. We hypothesized that Thai lottery gamblers’ superstitious beliefs were related to their problem gambling through the mediation of number search and gambling intensity. In a study among 380 Thai lottery gamblers, superstitious beliefs were operationally defined as the beliefs in events or objects that seemed to reveal numbers, number search as an attempt to identify numbers to bet, gambling intensity as the frequency and amounts of lottery gambling, and problem gambling as the symptoms of problems relating to lottery gambling. Results support the hypotheses. There is a statistically significant indirect relationship between Thai lottery gamblers’ superstitious beliefs and their problem gambling through the mediation of number search and gambling intensity. Thai lottery gamblers need to be reminded that their superstitious beliefs and number search are precursors of their problem gambling.
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Acknowledgments
We thank the late Dr. Thomas J. Knutson for his assistance in the literature search, and the anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments.
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Appendix
Appendix
Superstitious Beliefs Scale
Please indicate your belief in the following statements from (1) Do not believe absolutely, (2) Do not believe, (3) In between, (4) Believe, and (5) Believe absolutely
Item | Factor |
|---|---|
1 | |
1. Powerful Ajahn knows the winning numbersa | .80 |
2. Candle teardrops in the sacred water bowl form into winning numbers | .87 |
3. Rub power on the tree barks and the winning numbers will show | .91 |
4. Incense stick ashes curve to become winning numbers | .87 |
5. Banana trees that bear oddly-shaped fruits reveal winning numbers | .90 |
6. Animals that bear strangely-formed young ones disclose winning numbers | .88 |
7. Births or deaths of important persons are indicative of winning numbers | .71 |
Total variance explained | 72.40 % |
Number Search Scale
How often do you find numbers using the following methods? (1) Never/almost never, (2) Once in a while, (3) At certain draws, (4) Almost every draw, and (5) Every draw and never miss a draw
Item | Factor | |
|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | |
1. Read newspapers a few days before the lottery draw to look for numbers | .79 | .37 |
2. Interpret the numbers in lottery magazines | .86 | .26 |
3. Buy lucky packets/envelopes to look for numbers | .90 | .12 |
4. Visit the monks/ajahns (respected person) at the temples to ask for numbers | .77 | .36 |
5. Ask relatives/friends about their dreams | .30 | .91 |
6. Ask relatives/friends about the numbers they expect in the coming draw | .24 | .93 |
Total variance explained (82.40 %) comprising | 48.47 % | 33.93 % |
Problem Gambling Scale
Please indicate the frequency of the occurrence of the following events from: (1) Never happened, (2) Happened occasionally, (3) Happened frequently, and (4) Happened regularly
Item | Factor | |
|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | |
1. You always think of the ways to find money to buy lottery | .73 | .24 |
2. You buy lottery in larger amounts of money to maintain your excitement | .61 | .39 |
3. You tried to reduce or quit playing lottery but could not | .54 | .42 |
4. When trying to reduce or quit playing lottery you feel irritated | .66 | .33 |
5. You play lottery to escape poverty | 0 | .91 |
6. You return to lottery playing because you want to win back your lost money | .17 | .88 |
7. You have to lie to your family or friends about your lottery play | .82 | .08 |
8. You have stolen or embezzled money to play lottery | .88 | .01 |
9. You have problem in job, family or get divorced because of lottery play | .91 | .06 |
10. You have to borrow money from your family members or friends because you are broke from lottery playing | .91 | .05 |
Total variance explained (68.82 %) comprising | 47.75 % | 21.07 % |
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Pravichai, S., Ariyabuddhiphongs, V. Superstitious Beliefs and Problem Gambling Among Thai Lottery Gamblers: The Mediation Effects of Number Search and Gambling Intensity. J Gambl Stud 31, 1633–1649 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-014-9517-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-014-9517-7