Information is not enough: pop-up messages are not helpful in preventing excessive gambling

Information is not enough: pop-up messages are not helpful in preventing excessive gambling | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Information is not enough: pop-up messages are not helpful in preventing excessive gambling Mariano Chóliz, Lydia Cervera-Ortiz, Amparo Luján-Barrera, Clara Marco This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6724782/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Despite the interest of many governments and gambling companies in implementing responsible gambling policies, the techniques used do not serve to prevent excessive gambling in society. This is because the information provided is necessary, but it is not enough for modifying gambling habits or preventing addiction. Furthermore, once the mental disorder has developed, the main clinical symptoms of gambling disorder are excessive gambling and difficulty in controlling one's gambling. Objective: the objective of this study was to analyze the effect of a dynamic personal message about the consequences of gambling, specifically, the effectiveness of pop-up messages stating the percentage of money lost in a virtual slot machine. Method . In this study, 40 gamblers were observed during online gambling. The independent variable was information about their gambling losses provided via pop-up messages. Results . The main result of the study was that the display of responsible gambling information was associated with no changes in gambling behavior. Discussion . The study presented in this article and the initial theoretical discussion together reveal that the main strategy used to promote responsible gambling, which is to provide truthful information about gambling and its consequences, is not sufficient to prevent excessive gambling and, therefore, gambling addiction in society, or to make people stop gambling, despite their losses. To prevent excessive gambling and, therefore, gambling disorder in society, gambling policies that limit gamblers’ losses must be implemented. gambling disorder responsible gambling gambling disorder prevention pop-up messages ethical gambling 1. Introduction Gambling disorder was initially classified by ICD-9 [ 1 ] and DSM-III [ 2 ] as a mental illness within the category of impulse control disorders, but currently both the DSM-5 [ 3 , 4 ] and ICD-11 [ 5 ] included gambling disorder in the same diagnostic category as substance-related disorders, which was a claim by the scientific and clinical field [ 6 , 7 ]. The reason why pathological gambling was considered an addictive disorder is because “ gambling behaviors activate reward systems similar to those activated by drugs of abuse and produce some behavioral symptoms that appear comparable to those produced by the substance use disorders” [ 3 , p. 481]. Considering gambling disorder as an addictive disorder has very relevant implications for prevention, because prevention programs can be developed to prevent excessive gambling [ 8 ]. On the other hand, many countries have developed responsible gambling policies to mitigate the effects that gambling causes on the population. Responsible gambling policies are based on the assumption that people should be well informed about the characteristics of gambling and the harm that excessive gambling can cause [ 9 , 10 ]. The Reno responsible gambling model is based on two assumptions [ 10 ]: a) the ultimate decision of whether to gamble resides with the individual and represents a choice; and b) to make this decision, individuals must have the opportunity to be informed. Therefore, many regulations that promote responsible gambling focus on providing informative messages. For example, the Code of Conduct on Responsible Online Gambling Advertising of the European Gaming and Betting Association states that, “Wherever possible, responsible gambling messages should be included in all gambling marketing” [ 11 ]. However, there are theoretical considerations indicating that information alone is not sufficient to prevent gambling disorder, because the clinical criteria of gambling disorder induced excessive gambling [ 3 ]: tolerance, withdrawal syndrome, unsuccessful efforts to control or stop gambling, gamble to overcome discomfort, play again to recover losses, etc. Nevertheless, what cannot be forgotten is that gambling is one of the main economic activities in countries where it is legal, with estimated revenues in 2024 of more than $ 100 billion [ 12 ]. Since the game is a "zero-sum" game [ 13 ], this impressive amount of money is actually what players lose when they bet. This is because most gambling are designed to induce an excessive gambling pattern, which is very profitable for the company because the mathematical expectation is always negative for the player. That is, the more you play, the greater the probability of losing. The problem is that excessive pattern of play is also the main cause of gambling disorder. In fact, pathological gamblers represent between 15% and 65% of the revenue of gambling companies [ 14 , 15 ]. Returning to the issue of responsible gambling, one of the main strategies of responsible gambling policies that have been implemented in most countries is the provision of information on gambling risks; other, possibly more effective, strategies [ 16 , 17 ] have not yet been made mandatory [ 18 ]. Recommendations on web pages and brochures on gambling room counters are static in nature; they do not effectively influence gambling behavior. Personalized feedback is also not unequivocally effective; a recent literature review found conflicting results for the effects of personalized feedback on spending and symptoms [ 19 ]. Many studies have found that dynamic messages were more effective than static messages, and that messages encouraging self-appraisal had significantly greater effects on self-reported thoughts and behaviors during gambling [ 20 , 21 , 22 ]. Pop-up messages that involve cognitive tasks can interrupt dissociation during game play [ 23 ]. However, the direction of the impact depends on the size and design of messages [ 24 , 25 ]. Thus, both message content and how the message is conveyed play critical roles in affecting gambler behavior, leading to beneficial or harmful results [ 26 ]. The introduction of breaks in play is a responsible gambling strategy that is intended to bring the player's attention to losses and motivate him/her to modify or cease play. Such breaks should be accompanied by self-appraisal messages; otherwise, breaks in play may be counterproductive, enhancing urges and the craving to continue [ 27 ]. One of the best-known strategies for providing self-appraisal information is to provide pop-up messages that help guide the gambler to play responsibly [ 28 , 29 , 8 ]. However, warning signs that are designed only to inform players when they have been playing for a certain continuous period of time are ineffective because of the difficulty faced, until now, of accurately tracking individual gambling play. It seems that an effective strategy might be for the message to include information on the gambler’s real losses [ 16 ] and to be personalized according to each person’s gambling behavior [ 30 ]. Therefore, the objective of this study was to analyze the effect of a dynamic personal message about the consequences of gambling, specifically, the effectiveness of pop-up messages stating the percentage of money lost in a virtual slot machine. 2. Materials and Methods Participants . A total of 24 gamblers (10 women and 14 men) aged 18 to 24 years were recruited from gambling venues after they had completed a survey about their gambling habits and associated problems. Procedure . Participants arrived at the laboratory and were informed that the study involved assessing gambling behavior and that they would gamble on an online slot machine. Participants were given a total of 30 Euros to gamble. The screen displayed was identical to an online slot machine and the results were given in the same format. The cost of each game was 0.50 Euros, and the possible payouts were 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 5, 10 and 30 Euros. The outcome of online spins was pre-programmed so that all participants experienced the same sequence of wins and losses. We used two different experimental conditions. In the pop-up condition, participants were informed via a pop-up message when they had lost one-third or two-thirds of the money that they had received (10 and 20 Euros, respectively). The messages were: 'You have lost one- third/two-thirds of the money given to you. You must wait a minute to continue playing.' The control group did not receive any pop-up messages, nor did they stop playing. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the two groups. Independent variables . There were two independent variables, each with two levels: gambling loss information imparted by pop-up messages (informed group vs. not-informed group); and gamblers who met one or more of the gambling-disorder criteria of DSM-5 vs. players who did not meet any gambling disorder criteria Dependent variable . Number of bets placed. Instruments . NORC DSM-IV Screen for Gambling Problems, NODS (Gerstein et al., 1999). A 17-item yes/no scale that aims to diagnose pathological gambling according to the diagnostic criteria of the DSM-IV-TR. It was adapted to the current DSM-5 criteria. The range of the scale scores is 0–9. Hypothesis • Hypothesis 1 : Gamblers who received information about losses would place fewer bets than those who did not receive such information. • Hypothesis 2 • At-risk gamblers (those meeting one or more gambling disorder criteria, measured using NODS) would bet more than those who met none of the pathological gambling criteria. 3. Results Table 1 shows the number of bets placed by gamblers in each of the two conditions (with pop-up messages versus without pop-up messages) and for each group of gamblers (at-risk gamblers and non-risk gamblers). Table 1 Number of bets placed (mean and standard deviation) Without pop-up messages With pop-up messages At-risk gambler 42.50 (9.73) 47.43 (11.41) Gambler not at risk 39.67 (6.15) 40.80 (10.33) The results obtained were the following: No statistically significant differences were found in the number of bets made by gamblers in the two experimental conditions (with pop-up messages vs. without pop-up messages). No statistically significant differences were obtained between at-risk gamblers and non-risk gamblers in the number of bets placed. No statistically significant differences were found in the number of bets placed taking into account the interaction between the two independent variables (pop-up messages and gamblers at risk). Therefore, the fact that there are no significant differences in any condition or in the interaction between the independent variables means that neither of the two hypotheses has been confirmed. 4. Discussion As Rebecca Cassidy noted, during the eighties of the last century gambling was transformed “from an activity that was tolerated, to a business to be encouraged” [ 31 , p. 21]. Gambling went from being a marginal activity to a first-rate economic activity, despite the scientific evidence that gambling has become in a public health problem [ 32 ]. Governments adapted legislation to favor and promote gambling. The promotion of gambling by part of governments and companies intensified with the appearance of online gambling [ 33 ]. Governments and companies have argued for responsible gambling policies as a requirement for the promotion of gambling as a business activity. The main postulate of the responsible gambling model is that people should have truthful information about how gambling works and its consequences, as well as its effect on gamblers’ behavior, so that they can decide rationally whether to gamble [ 9 ]. Based on this postulate, the gambling industry and governments have developed strategies to provide information about gambling and gamblers’ behavior that is intended to reduce the associated risk. This is the basis of responsible gambling policies, which focus on individual responsibility, minimizing the duty of care owed by governments and the gambling industry [ 34 ]. However, there has been a substantial increase in spending on online gambling in Spain, despite the information on responsible gambling provided by gambling companies [ 35 ]. The responsibility for responsible gambling should not lie with the gamblers but, rather, should be placed on the administration that regulates gambling [ 36 ] and the operating companies [ 37 ]. Nevertheless, while responsible gambling strategies based on providing information are necessary, they are not sufficient to prevent gambling addiction in society. In the absence of more effective measures, as setting spending limits [ 38 , 39 ] information and education campaigns are ineffective in preventing the harms of gambling at the population level. The main conclusion of this study is that accurate information about the consequences of gambling (losing one-third to two-thirds of the money spent in gambling), accompanied by sufficient time to reflect on these consequences, had no effect on the number of bets placed by gamblers in an online slot machine. In brief, this information about gambling and the associated risks could not prevent gambling behavior and, consequently, gambling disorder. These results indicate that truthful information is necessary, but not sufficient to prevent excessive gambling and, consequently, gambling disorder in society. It is therefore essential that regulatory measures are taken to prevent excessive gambling. These measures must be based on scientific knowledge and, more specifically, on the principles of the psychology of learning applied to social contexts. In the case of gambling, there are, at least, three additional features that explain why the information is not enough to prevent gambling addiction, which are based in the so called “gambling laws” based on ethical gambling [ 8 ]. These three laws are summarized in the fact that gambling is addictive ( Third law ), which means that the more you bet, the greater the need to continue gambling. However, the way the gambling is planned in society, the more you bet, the greater the chance of losing money ( Second law ), because gambling is specifically designed so that companies make money with what gamblers lose ( First law ). If we take into account that the majority of criteria that define gambling disorder encourage excessive gambling [ 40 ] despite losses, gambling in society becomes a serious public health problem. Thus, from a public health perspective, gambling acts like a virus [ 41 ], as its structural characteristics and commercial endorsements favor increased gambling behavior in society generally, leading to adverse health consequences. These findings have been demonstrated in Spain. As in many other countries, when online gambling legalizes, companies show responsible gambling advises. Nevertheless, these recommendations do not work, even to prevent excessive gambling in gamblers who do not have gambling problems. Since the legalization of online gambling, gambling spending has grown exponentially and currently exceeds the combined spending on all traditional games (e.g., casinos, machines, lotteries, and bingos) [ 35 ]. Within 3 years of its legalization, online gambling has become the second leading cause of gambling addiction in patients undergoing treatment for gambling disorder, and the leading cause in people under 26 years of age [ 33 ]. Among school-going individuals aged 15–19 years, gambling addiction has reached epidemic levels. Minors have a higher prevalence of gambling than the general population [ 18 ] despite the recommendations and suggestions on all online gambling web pages. This has occurred despite gambling companies have created quality seals on responsible gambling and offer conferences on this issue. But all they really do is report some logical recommendations that contradict the way the companies themselves present gambling and their marketing techniques that induce excessive gambling. Pop-up messages are considered one of the most promising responsible gambling techniques, but only if they dynamically affect player behavior [ 21 , 22 ]. However, in this study, dynamic pop-up messages describing losses did not significantly reduce the number of plays made by players who did or did not fulfill at least one of the nine DSM-5-TR pathological gambling criteria. Clearly, in this study, the pop-up messages that reported losses did not reduce betting. Furthermore, no differences were found between at-risk gamblers and gamblers who did not meet any pathological gambling criteria. Thus, information alone cannot reduce gambling behavior in a real setting. The numbers of bets placed by gamblers meeting 1–3 criteria of a gambling disorder and by problem-free gamblers did not differ. It seems that the structural characteristics of online gambling encourage repeated behavior that overrides information on the negative effects of gambling [ 42 ]. In conclusion, to prevent gambling addiction, information is not enough. Furthermore, if only information is presented, even if it is true, this can be counterproductive because the impression can be given that people who suffer from gambling disorder are responsible for their illness. In addition to the clinical consequences that guilt and shame can have in pathological gamblers [ 43 ], this serves to exempt governments and companies from carrying out true public health policies. Health policies should therefore go beyond the current model of responsible gambling [ 34 ] and instead regulate gambling according to the principles of ethical gambling [ 36 ], applying moral limits to the market [ 44 ]. Anything less is merely show. Few experiences are available from other countries, such as New Zealand, where the government recognizes gambling as a public health issue and has developed an integrated problematic gambling strategy focused on public health, which includes preventing and minimizing the harm from gambling [ 45 ]. In other countries, such as Sweden and the Netherlands, a “duty of care” policy has been included in the legislation. Despite this, the content of these policies is focused more on monitoring players than products [ 46 ]. In Spain, daily and monthly limits have been placed on the amount of money that can be bet, which is a substantial improvement over the current regulations, which actually promote online gambling. In total, 83 online gambling websites are authorized to operate in Spain, many of which are run by the main transnational gambling companies. Players can switch between websites and spend huge amounts of money. To prevent players from exceeding the legal limits by betting on multiple websites, the websites can be forced to operate on a single state-controlled platform. This solution has been proposed by the Parliament of Uruguay as a potential online gambling law and can be an effective method to prevent gambling disorder. Another solution has been proposed by the ethical gambling model [ 36 ] in the form of a personal gambling smart card (PGSD) issued by the government, which would be mandatory for all types of electronic gambling (online and EGMs). The PGSD would record all gambling wins and losses with the aim of preventing large daily, weekly, or monthly losses by blocking gambling for the rest of the day, week, or month when the gambler reaches a limit previously established by the government. Other strategies designed to prevent or minimize gambling-related problems should also focus on the structural characteristics of gambling in addition to the gamblers [ 47 , 48 ]. Some of the structural characteristics include restricting gambling speed [ 49 ], increasing the time interval between the bet and outcome [ 50 ], reducing the maximum bet size [ 45 ], diminishing the percentage of win, or lessening the rates of “near-miss” on electronic gambling machines [ 51 ]. Studies have found that damage minimization strategies that take into account cultural, regional, and personal factors are effective [ 52 ]. This study has certain limitations. The study participants played with the money that they had been provided. It is unclear whether similar results would be obtained if the players played with their own money or had self-imposed spending limits. Declarations Ethics approval and consent to participate: This study is in accordance with the ethical standards of the Spanish government and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments. All data are anonymous and are in accordance with Law 3/2018, on the protection of personal data and guarantee of digital rights. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of University of Valencia for studies involving humans ( 02/02/2017. Register: H1482079199937 ). All participants signed an informed consent form in which they voluntarily agreed to participate in the research. No personal data was collected in the database used for the analyses. Consent for publication: Yes Availability of data and materials : The data is not available in any public database. Availability in: Gambling and Technological Addictions Research Unit. University pf Valencia (Spain) Competing interest: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest with any gambling company. The authors subscribe to the Auckland Code of Ethics for gambling researchers Funding: In the last three years, the authors have received funding for other projects on gambling addiction from the Health Department of Mapfre Foundation and the Youth Council of the Government of Valencia. The authors declare that they have not received funding from gambling companies. Authors’ Contributions: MCh has participated in all stages of the study: conceptualization, methodology, data analysis and discussion of the results. LC-O and AL-B have participated in the analysis of the results. CM has participated in discussion of the results. References WHO. International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems ; Ninth Revision. Geneva: World Health Organization; 1979. Pichot P, DSM-III. 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Slot machine structural characteristics: Creating near misses using high award symbol ratios. Int J Ment Health Addict. 2008;6(3):353–68. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11469-007-9066-8 . Akçayır M, Nicoll F, Baxter DG. Emerging gambling problems and suggested interventions: A systematic review of empirical research. J Gambl Stud. 2022;39(2):857–82. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10899-022-10122-w . Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6724782","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":460780780,"identity":"26309a7c-7853-4f51-9777-5d4d5a390ad0","order_by":0,"name":"Mariano Chóliz","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA10lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYJCCA2BSgoHxQAKDDWlaGIBa0kixSwKs9zBhhbrtZx8e+LnDhoF/dvOBAw/+nE/ccID58Ad8WszOpBsc7D2TxiBx51jCgQSe20AtbGkSeLUcSGM4wNt2mMFAIsfgQILE7cSZDTxmeB1mdv4Zw8G/cC0G54Ba+D/jd9iNNIbDCFsSDiT2M/Aw4HfYjWcMh2Xb0ngkbqQB/XIg2bifmc0Mv5bzacwf37bZyPHPSD748McfO9k29ubHeB0GAzwIJjMx6kfBKBgFo2AU4AUAtaRO7Z83kOoAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"University of Valencia","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mariano","middleName":"","lastName":"Chóliz","suffix":""},{"id":460780782,"identity":"d59d8184-a1b8-42ae-9cd7-2f458ca71512","order_by":1,"name":"Lydia Cervera-Ortiz","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Valencia","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Lydia","middleName":"","lastName":"Cervera-Ortiz","suffix":""},{"id":460780784,"identity":"4cefb0c0-8c47-456f-b8d0-125bd159fe1f","order_by":2,"name":"Amparo Luján-Barrera","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Valencia","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Amparo","middleName":"","lastName":"Luján-Barrera","suffix":""},{"id":460780786,"identity":"70dd4526-697d-493c-ac88-912eb6f9046a","order_by":3,"name":"Clara Marco","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Valencia","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Clara","middleName":"","lastName":"Marco","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-05-22 12:08:06","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6724782/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6724782/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":88222143,"identity":"248d772e-8569-474d-a90e-35ad89299a6b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-08-04 08:03:09","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":488389,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6724782/v1/c9a6face-eb9a-4d4c-873e-b983b7799157.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Information is not enough: pop-up messages are not helpful in preventing excessive gambling","fulltext":[{"header":"1. Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGambling disorder was initially classified by ICD-9 [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e] and DSM-III [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e] as a mental illness within the category of impulse control disorders, but currently both the DSM-5 [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e] and ICD-11 [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e] included gambling disorder in the same diagnostic category as substance-related disorders, which was a claim by the scientific and clinical field [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e]. The reason why pathological gambling was considered an addictive disorder is because \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003egambling behaviors activate reward systems similar to those activated by drugs of abuse and produce some behavioral symptoms that appear comparable to those produced by the substance use disorders\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e, p. 481]. Considering gambling disorder as an addictive disorder has very relevant implications for prevention, because prevention programs can be developed to prevent excessive gambling [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOn the other hand, many countries have developed responsible gambling policies to mitigate the effects that gambling causes on the population. Responsible gambling policies are based on the assumption that people should be well informed about the characteristics of gambling and the harm that excessive gambling can cause [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e]. The Reno responsible gambling model is based on two assumptions [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e]: a) the ultimate decision of whether to gamble resides with the individual and represents a choice; and b) to make this decision, individuals must have the opportunity to be informed. Therefore, many regulations that promote responsible gambling focus on providing informative messages. For example, the Code of Conduct on Responsible Online Gambling Advertising of the European Gaming and Betting Association states that, \u0026ldquo;Wherever possible, responsible gambling messages should be included in all gambling marketing\u0026rdquo; [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e]. However, there are theoretical considerations indicating that information alone is not sufficient to prevent gambling disorder, because the clinical criteria of gambling disorder induced excessive gambling [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e]: tolerance, withdrawal syndrome, unsuccessful efforts to control or stop gambling, gamble to overcome discomfort, play again to recover losses, etc.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNevertheless, what cannot be forgotten is that gambling is one of the main economic activities in countries where it is legal, with estimated revenues in 2024 of more than \u003cspan\u003e$\u003c/span\u003e100\u0026nbsp;billion [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e]. Since the game is a \"zero-sum\" game [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e], this impressive amount of money is actually what players lose when they bet. This is because most gambling are designed to induce an excessive gambling pattern, which is very profitable for the company because the mathematical expectation is always negative for the player. That is, the more you play, the greater the probability of losing. The problem is that excessive pattern of play is also the main cause of gambling disorder. In fact, pathological gamblers represent between 15% and 65% of the revenue of gambling companies [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eReturning to the issue of responsible gambling, one of the main strategies of responsible gambling policies that have been implemented in most countries is the provision of information on gambling risks; other, possibly more effective, strategies [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e17\u003c/span\u003e] have not yet been made mandatory [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e18\u003c/span\u003e]. Recommendations on web pages and brochures on gambling room counters are static in nature; they do not effectively influence gambling behavior. Personalized feedback is also not unequivocally effective; a recent literature review found conflicting results for the effects of personalized feedback on spending and symptoms [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e]. Many studies have found that dynamic messages were more effective than static messages, and that messages encouraging self-appraisal had significantly greater effects on self-reported thoughts and behaviors during gambling [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e]. Pop-up messages that involve cognitive tasks can interrupt dissociation during game play [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e23\u003c/span\u003e]. However, the direction of the impact depends on the size and design of messages [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e24\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e25\u003c/span\u003e]. Thus, both message content and how the message is conveyed play critical roles in affecting gambler behavior, leading to beneficial or harmful results [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e26\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe introduction of breaks in play is a responsible gambling strategy that is intended to bring the player's attention to losses and motivate him/her to modify or cease play. Such breaks should be accompanied by self-appraisal messages; otherwise, breaks in play may be counterproductive, enhancing urges and the craving to continue [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e27\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOne of the best-known strategies for providing self-appraisal information is to provide pop-up messages that help guide the gambler to play responsibly [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e28\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e29\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e]. However, warning signs that are designed only to inform players when they have been playing for a certain continuous period of time are ineffective because of the difficulty faced, until now, of accurately tracking individual gambling play. It seems that an effective strategy might be for the message to include information on the gambler\u0026rsquo;s real losses [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e] and to be personalized according to each person\u0026rsquo;s gambling behavior [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e30\u003c/span\u003e]. Therefore, the objective of this study was to analyze the effect of a dynamic personal message about the consequences of gambling, specifically, the effectiveness of pop-up messages stating the percentage of money lost in a virtual slot machine.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"2. Materials and Methods","content":"\u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eParticipants\u003c/b\u003e. A total of 24 gamblers (10 women and 14 men) aged 18 to 24 years were recruited from gambling venues after they had completed a survey about their gambling habits and associated problems.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eProcedure\u003c/b\u003e. Participants arrived at the laboratory and were informed that the study involved assessing gambling behavior and that they would gamble on an online slot machine. Participants were given a total of 30 Euros to gamble. The screen displayed was identical to an online slot machine and the results were given in the same format. The cost of each game was 0.50 Euros, and the possible payouts were 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 5, 10 and 30 Euros. The outcome of online spins was pre-programmed so that all participants experienced the same sequence of wins and losses.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWe used two different experimental conditions. In the pop-up condition, participants were informed via a pop-up message when they had lost one-third or two-thirds of the money that they had received (10 and 20 Euros, respectively). The messages were: 'You have lost one- third/two-thirds of the money given to you. You must wait a minute to continue playing.' The control group did not receive any pop-up messages, nor did they stop playing. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the two groups.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eIndependent variables\u003c/b\u003e. There were two independent variables, each with two levels: gambling loss information imparted by pop-up messages (informed group vs. not-informed group); and gamblers who met one or more of the gambling-disorder criteria of DSM-5 vs. players who did not meet any gambling disorder criteria\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eDependent variable\u003c/b\u003e. Number of bets placed.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eInstruments\u003c/b\u003e. NORC DSM-IV Screen for Gambling Problems, NODS (Gerstein et al., 1999). A 17-item yes/no scale that aims to diagnose pathological gambling according to the diagnostic criteria of the DSM-IV-TR. It was adapted to the current DSM-5 criteria. The range of the scale scores is 0\u0026ndash;9.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eHypothesis\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026bull; \u003cem\u003eHypothesis 1\u003c/em\u003e: Gamblers who received information about losses would place fewer bets than those who did not receive such information.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003e\u0026bull; Hypothesis 2\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026bull; At-risk gamblers (those meeting one or more gambling disorder criteria, measured using NODS) would bet more than those who met none of the pathological gambling criteria.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"3. Results","content":"\u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e shows the number of bets placed by gamblers in each of the two conditions (with pop-up messages versus without pop-up messages) and for each group of gamblers (at-risk gamblers and non-risk gamblers).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNumber of bets placed (mean and standard deviation)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWithout pop-up messages\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWith pop-up messages\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAt-risk gambler\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e42.50 \u003cem\u003e(9.73)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e47.43 \u003cem\u003e(11.41)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGambler not at risk\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e39.67 \u003cem\u003e(6.15)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e40.80 \u003cem\u003e(10.33)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe results obtained were the following:\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo statistically significant differences were found in the number of bets made by gamblers in the two experimental conditions (with pop-up messages vs. without pop-up messages).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo statistically significant differences were obtained between at-risk gamblers and non-risk gamblers in the number of bets placed.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo statistically significant differences were found in the number of bets placed taking into account the interaction between the two independent variables (pop-up messages and gamblers at risk).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/ul\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTherefore, the fact that there are no significant differences in any condition or in the interaction between the independent variables means that neither of the two hypotheses has been confirmed.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"4. Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs Rebecca Cassidy noted, during the eighties of the last century gambling was transformed \u0026ldquo;from an activity that was tolerated, to a business to be encouraged\u0026rdquo; [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e31\u003c/span\u003e, p. 21]. Gambling went from being a marginal activity to a first-rate economic activity, despite the scientific evidence that gambling has become in a public health problem [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e32\u003c/span\u003e]. Governments adapted legislation to favor and promote gambling. The promotion of gambling by part of governments and companies intensified with the appearance of online gambling [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e33\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGovernments and companies have argued for responsible gambling policies as a requirement for the promotion of gambling as a business activity. The main postulate of the responsible gambling model is that people should have truthful information about how gambling works and its consequences, as well as its effect on gamblers\u0026rsquo; behavior, so that they can decide rationally whether to gamble [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e]. Based on this postulate, the gambling industry and governments have developed strategies to provide information about gambling and gamblers\u0026rsquo; behavior that is intended to reduce the associated risk. This is the basis of responsible gambling policies, which focus on individual responsibility, minimizing the duty of care owed by governments and the gambling industry [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e34\u003c/span\u003e]. However, there has been a substantial increase in spending on online gambling in Spain, despite the information on responsible gambling provided by gambling companies [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e35\u003c/span\u003e]. The responsibility for responsible gambling should not lie with the gamblers but, rather, should be placed on the administration that regulates gambling [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e36\u003c/span\u003e] and the operating companies [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e37\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNevertheless, while responsible gambling strategies based on providing information are necessary, they are not sufficient to prevent gambling addiction in society. In the absence of more effective measures, as setting spending limits [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e38\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e39\u003c/span\u003e] information and education campaigns are ineffective in preventing the harms of gambling at the population level.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe main conclusion of this study is that accurate information about the consequences of gambling (losing one-third to two-thirds of the money spent in gambling), accompanied by sufficient time to reflect on these consequences, had no effect on the number of bets placed by gamblers in an online slot machine. In brief, this information about gambling and the associated risks could not prevent gambling behavior and, consequently, gambling disorder.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese results indicate that truthful information is necessary, but not sufficient to prevent excessive gambling and, consequently, gambling disorder in society. It is therefore essential that regulatory measures are taken to prevent excessive gambling. These measures must be based on scientific knowledge and, more specifically, on the principles of the psychology of learning applied to social contexts. In the case of gambling, there are, at least, three additional features that explain why the information is not enough to prevent gambling addiction, which are based in the so called \u0026ldquo;gambling laws\u0026rdquo; based on ethical gambling [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e]. These three laws are summarized in the fact that gambling is addictive (\u003cem\u003eThird law\u003c/em\u003e), which means that the more you bet, the greater the need to continue gambling. However, the way the gambling is planned in society, the more you bet, the greater the chance of losing money (\u003cem\u003eSecond law\u003c/em\u003e), because gambling is specifically designed so that companies make money with what gamblers lose (\u003cem\u003eFirst law\u003c/em\u003e). If we take into account that the majority of criteria that define gambling disorder encourage excessive gambling [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR40\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e40\u003c/span\u003e] despite losses, gambling in society becomes a serious public health problem.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThus, from a public health perspective, gambling acts like a virus [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e41\u003c/span\u003e], as its structural characteristics and commercial endorsements favor increased gambling behavior in society generally, leading to adverse health consequences.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese findings have been demonstrated in Spain. As in many other countries, when online gambling legalizes, companies show responsible gambling advises. Nevertheless, these recommendations do not work, even to prevent excessive gambling in gamblers who do not have gambling problems. Since the legalization of online gambling, gambling spending has grown exponentially and currently exceeds the combined spending on all traditional games (e.g., casinos, machines, lotteries, and bingos) [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e35\u003c/span\u003e]. Within 3 years of its legalization, online gambling has become the second leading cause of gambling addiction in patients undergoing treatment for gambling disorder, and the leading cause in people under 26 years of age [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e33\u003c/span\u003e]. Among school-going individuals aged 15\u0026ndash;19 years, gambling addiction has reached epidemic levels. Minors have a higher prevalence of gambling than the general population [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e18\u003c/span\u003e] despite the recommendations and suggestions on all online gambling web pages. This has occurred despite gambling companies have created quality seals on responsible gambling and offer conferences on this issue. But all they really do is report some logical recommendations that contradict the way the companies themselves present gambling and their marketing techniques that induce excessive gambling.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePop-up messages are considered one of the most promising responsible gambling techniques, but only if they dynamically affect player behavior [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e]. However, in this study, dynamic pop-up messages describing losses did not significantly reduce the number of plays made by players who did or did not fulfill at least one of the nine DSM-5-TR pathological gambling criteria. Clearly, in this study, the pop-up messages that reported losses did not reduce betting. Furthermore, no differences were found between at-risk gamblers and gamblers who did not meet any pathological gambling criteria. Thus, information alone cannot reduce gambling behavior in a real setting. The numbers of bets placed by gamblers meeting 1\u0026ndash;3 criteria of a gambling disorder and by problem-free gamblers did not differ. It seems that the structural characteristics of online gambling encourage repeated behavior that overrides information on the negative effects of gambling [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR42\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e42\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn conclusion, to prevent gambling addiction, information is not enough. Furthermore, if only information is presented, even if it is true, this can be counterproductive because the impression can be given that people who suffer from gambling disorder are responsible for their illness. In addition to the clinical consequences that guilt and shame can have in pathological gamblers [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR43\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e43\u003c/span\u003e], this serves to exempt governments and companies from carrying out true public health policies. Health policies should therefore go beyond the current model of responsible gambling [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e34\u003c/span\u003e] and instead regulate gambling according to the principles of ethical gambling [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e36\u003c/span\u003e], applying moral limits to the market [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR44\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e44\u003c/span\u003e]. Anything less is merely show.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFew experiences are available from other countries, such as New Zealand, where the government recognizes gambling as a public health issue and has developed an integrated problematic gambling strategy focused on public health, which includes preventing and minimizing the harm from gambling [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR45\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e45\u003c/span\u003e]. In other countries, such as Sweden and the Netherlands, a \u0026ldquo;duty of care\u0026rdquo; policy has been included in the legislation. Despite this, the content of these policies is focused more on monitoring players than products [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e46\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn Spain, daily and monthly limits have been placed on the amount of money that can be bet, which is a substantial improvement over the current regulations, which actually promote online gambling. In total, 83 online gambling websites are authorized to operate in Spain, many of which are run by the main transnational gambling companies. Players can switch between websites and spend huge amounts of money.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo prevent players from exceeding the legal limits by betting on multiple websites, the websites can be forced to operate on a single state-controlled platform. This solution has been proposed by the Parliament of Uruguay as a potential online gambling law and can be an effective method to prevent gambling disorder.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnother solution has been proposed by the ethical gambling model [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e36\u003c/span\u003e] in the form of a personal gambling smart card (PGSD) issued by the government, which would be mandatory for all types of electronic gambling (online and EGMs). The PGSD would record all gambling wins and losses with the aim of preventing large daily, weekly, or monthly losses by blocking gambling for the rest of the day, week, or month when the gambler reaches a limit previously established by the government.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOther strategies designed to prevent or minimize gambling-related problems should also focus on the structural characteristics of gambling in addition to the gamblers [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR47\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e47\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR48\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e48\u003c/span\u003e]. Some of the structural characteristics include restricting gambling speed [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR49\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e49\u003c/span\u003e], increasing the time interval between the bet and outcome [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR50\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e50\u003c/span\u003e], reducing the maximum bet size [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR45\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e45\u003c/span\u003e], diminishing the percentage of win, or lessening the rates of \u0026ldquo;near-miss\u0026rdquo; on electronic gambling machines [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR51\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e51\u003c/span\u003e]. Studies have found that damage minimization strategies that take into account cultural, regional, and personal factors are effective [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR52\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e52\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis study has certain limitations. The study participants played with the money that they had been provided. It is unclear whether similar results would be obtained if the players played with their own money or had self-imposed spending limits.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthics approval and consent to participate:\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study is in accordance with the ethical standards of the Spanish government and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments. All data are anonymous and are in accordance with Law 3/2018, on the protection of personal data and guarantee of digital rights.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study was approved by the Ethics Committee of University of Valencia for studies involving humans (\u003cem\u003e02/02/2017. Register: H1482079199937\u003c/em\u003e).\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll participants signed an informed consent form in which they voluntarily agreed to participate in the research. No personal data was collected in the database used for the analyses.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent for publication:\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailability of data and materials\u003c/strong\u003e:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe data is not available in any public database. Availability in: Gambling and Technological Addictions Research Unit. University pf Valencia (Spain)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompeting interest:\u003c/strong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest with any gambling company. The authors subscribe to the Auckland Code of Ethics for gambling researchers\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding:\u003c/strong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the last three years, the authors have received funding for other projects on gambling addiction from the Health Department of Mapfre Foundation and the Youth Council of the \u0026nbsp; Government of Valencia.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare that they have not received funding from gambling companies.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthors\u0026rsquo; Contributions:\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMCh has participated in all stages of the study: conceptualization, methodology, data analysis and discussion of the results. LC-O and AL-B have participated in the analysis of the results. CM has participated in discussion of the results.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWHO. \u003cem\u003eInternational Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems\u003c/em\u003e; Ninth Revision. Geneva: World Health Organization; 1979.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePichot P, DSM-III. The 3d edition of the diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders from the American Psychiatric Association. Rev Neurol. 1986;142(5):489\u0026ndash;99.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAmerican Psychiatric Association. DSM-5: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Arlington: American Psychiatric Publishing; 2013.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAmerican Psychiatric Association. DSM-5-TR: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 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J Gambl Stud. 2022;39(2):857\u0026ndash;82. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttp://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10899-022-10122-w\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1007/s10899-022-10122-w\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"gambling disorder, responsible gambling, gambling disorder prevention, pop-up messages, ethical gambling","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6724782/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6724782/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eDespite the interest of many governments and gambling companies in implementing responsible gambling policies, the techniques used do not serve to prevent excessive gambling in society. This is because the information provided is necessary, but it is not enough for modifying gambling habits or preventing addiction. Furthermore, once the mental disorder has developed, the main clinical symptoms of gambling disorder are excessive gambling and difficulty in controlling one's gambling.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eObjective:\u003c/strong\u003e the objective of this study was to analyze the effect of a dynamic personal message about the consequences of gambling, specifically, the effectiveness of pop-up messages stating the percentage of money lost in a virtual slot machine.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMethod\u003c/strong\u003e. In this study, 40 gamblers were observed during online gambling. The independent variable was information about their gambling losses provided via pop-up messages.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResults\u003c/strong\u003e. The main result of the study was that the display of responsible gambling information was associated with no changes in gambling behavior.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDiscussion\u003c/strong\u003e. The study presented in this article and the initial theoretical discussion together reveal that the main strategy used to promote responsible gambling, which is to provide truthful information about gambling and its consequences, is not sufficient to prevent excessive gambling and, therefore, gambling addiction in society, or to make people stop gambling, despite their losses. To prevent excessive gambling and, therefore, gambling disorder in society, gambling policies that limit gamblers’ losses must be implemented.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Information is not enough: pop-up messages are not helpful in preventing excessive gambling","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-05-26 06:04:43","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6724782/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"03974a08-2501-4e50-9a88-d4ab94048778","owner":[],"postedDate":"May 26th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-08-04T07:54:51+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-05-26 06:04:43","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6724782","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6724782","identity":"rs-6724782","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}