The most addictive gambling games are those with continuous play. The researchers developed an intervention to enhance motor control during continuous gambling. They tested whether this intervention helped reduce problematic gambling behaviour in 74 adult gamblers. Participants were randomly assigned to three conditions. In the control condition, participants were allowed to gamble continuously. In the second condition, participants were given a passive 3-minute time out. In the third condition, participants engaged in a motor control task for three minutes.
Both the 3-minute time out and motor-control task interventions helped delay the next bet after losses. The motor-control condition led to longer delays. The interventions did not lead to people quitting earlier when experiencing a series of losses. Having people engage in a 3-minute motor-control task may be a helpful responsible gambling strategy.
