Abstract
The Attitudes Towards Gambling Scale (ATGS) is a 14-item survey instrument examining general attitudes towards gambling (Orford et al. in Int Gambl Stud 9(1):39–54, 2009). The current study examined the validity of this scale in an Australian community sample of 1794 adults (52.8 % female). As well as considering measures of internal consistency and factor loadings, we examined the functional utility of the scale as a mediator of gambling activity, problem gambling status, and consequent opinions on national gambling-reform legislation. We found internal consistency and factor loadings of the ATGS within the Australian sample to be comparable with those observed in the original UK study. Additionally, ATGS scores were found to be a relatively robust predictor of attitudes towards gambling reform and harm minimisation. Further, the ATGS mediated the relationships between experiences with gambling and attitudes towards harm reduction. The findings suggest that the ATGS is a useful tool for examining general attitudes towards gambling within an Australian context.
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This research was funded by the Population Research Laboratory at Central Queensland University. All data are used by permission.
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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
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Donaldson, P., Rockloff, M.J., Browne, M. et al. Attitudes Towards Gambling and Gambling Reform in Australia. J Gambl Stud 32, 243–259 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-015-9529-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-015-9529-y