The Game in Lab project is an intervention that uses board games and guided debriefing discussion to prevent gambling among adolescents. This pilot study evaluated the effectiveness of Game in Lab. A total of 210 Italian secondary school students were initially enrolled in the study. Students from six classes were randomly assigned to the intervention condition, where they participated in Game in Lab. The other six classes were assigned to a control condition. Of the 210 students, 129 completed the assessments at baseline (T0) and immediately after the intervention (T1). A total of 25 students also participated in three focus groups after the intervention.
Students in both groups held lower gambling-related cognitive distortions and positive expectancies at T1. The intervention did not seem to make a difference, and students in the intervention group reported slightly higher gambling-related cognitive distortions at T1 than the control group. However, in the focus groups, students discussed having increased critical thinking, greater emotional awareness, and a better understanding of gambling risks.
