Evaluating a school-based gambling prevention program for Spanish adolescents

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Author(s): Lloret-Irles, Daniel ; Cabrera-Perona, Víctor

Journal: Journal of Gambling Studies

Year Published: 2026

Date Added: August 25, 2026

This study evaluated “What’s at stake?” (WAS?), a gambling prevention program for adolescents in Spain. The researchers recruited secondary school students for the study. Classes were randomized within each participating school, with classes assigned to the experimental or control condition. In total, 5,022 students were assigned to the experimental group and 1,286 to the control group. Overall, the WAS? program led to short-term preventive effects, including decreases in intention to gamble, gambling severity, gambling motives, and normative perception that peers engage in gambling. The proportion of students with at-risk or problem gambling decreased in the experimental group.

Citation: Lloret-Irles, D., & Cabrera-Perona, V. (2026). Efficacy of school gambling prevention program "What’s at stake?": A cluster randomized controlled trial. Journal of Gambling Studies. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-026-10486-3

Article DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-026-10486-3

Keywords: adolescents ; gambling ; prevention ; schools

Topics: Children and Youth ; Gambling Resources ; Information for Operators ; Prevention ; Priority Populations

Conceptual Framework Factors: Social - Education System ; Resources - Harm Reduction, Prevention, and Protection ; Social - Social Demographics ; Psychological - Lifespan Development ; Social Factors ; Gambling Resources

Study Design: Experimental: RCT (randomized controlled trial)

Geographic Coverage: Spain

Study Population: Secondary school students aged 14–17 years old (N=6,308).

Sampling Procedure: Secondary schools in several regions of Spain were randomly selected based on the municipality–school ratio. Within each participating school, classrooms were randomly allocated to either the experimental or the control group.

Study Funding:

Open Access funding provided through the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. This study was funded by the Spanish Governmental Delegation for the National Plan on Drugs with Next Generation EU funds.