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Problem Gambling Poker Players: Do They Fit into Blaszczynski and Nower’s Pathways Model?

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Abstract

Blaszczynski and Nower’s (Addiction 97:487–499, 2002) Pathways Model, an integrative model based on problem gamblers’ paths and comorbidities, aids in understanding the heterogeneity of problem gamblers’ profiles by classifying them into three subgroups. The profiles of problem gamblers may be linked to the type of gambling practiced. Poker is a popular game, primarily due to the involvement of both chance and strategy in its outcome. However, no study has attempted to fit poker players into the Pathways Model. We recruited an online sample of 245 regular poker players (including 146 non-problem gamblers, 83 problem-gambling poker players, and 16 probable pathological gamblers). We assessed multiple variables (impulsivity, sensation seeking, alcohol and tobacco consumption, anxiety, depression, cognitive distortions) from the Pathways Model to determine whether the profiles of poker players fit into one or more gambler subgroups. Cluster analysis showed that poker players had a unique profile with a gambling practice intensity gradient. Compared to non-problem gamblers, problem gamblers displayed significantly higher levels of depression, impulsivity, gambling-related cognitive distortions, and alcohol consumption. Our results suggest that problem-gambling poker players fit into Blaszczynski and Nower’s behaviorally conditioned gamblers group. This study opens avenues for both research into and treatment for problem gambling among poker players.

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Funding

Funding was provided by GIS Jeu et Société.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory QualiPsy, EE1901, Psychology Department, University of Tours, 3 rue des Tanneurs, 37041, Tours, France

    Servane Barrault

  2. Centre de Soins d’Accompagnement et de Prévention en Addictologie (CSAPA 37), CHRU of Tours, 37044, Tours Cedex, France

    Servane Barrault

  3. Laboratory of Psychopathology and Health Processes, University of Paris, 92100, Boulogne-Billancourt, France

    Servane Barrault & Isabelle Varescon

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  1. Servane Barrault
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Correspondence to Servane Barrault.

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Barrault, S., Varescon, I. Problem Gambling Poker Players: Do They Fit into Blaszczynski and Nower’s Pathways Model?. J Gambl Stud 39, 249–263 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-022-10123-9

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