The telescoping effect in gambling: Gender differences among people who play electronic gaming machines

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Author(s): Syvertsen, André ; Leino, Tony ; Pallesen, Ståle ; Smith, Otto R. F. ; Mentzoni, Rune Aune ; Erevik, Eilin K.

Journal: Psychology of Addictive Behaviors

Year Published: 2022

Date Added: August 12, 2022

It has been reported that women start gambling at a later age but progress to disordered gambling more quickly than men. This is known as the telescoping effect. This study is the first to examine telescoping in a non-clinical population using behavioural tracking data. Participants were 184,113 adults who played Norsk Tipping’s Multix electronic gaming machines (EGMs) during the period from March 2013 to December 2018. As expected, women were older when they first gambled on Multix and reached their first monthly loss limit at a shorter time than men. Women had a 22% higher probability than men to reach a monthly loss limit at any time point during the study period, when controlling for age.

Citation: Syvertsen, A., Leino, T., Pallesen, S., Smith, O. R. F., Mentzoni, R. A., & Erevik, E. K. (2022). Telescoping and gender differences in high-risk gambling: Loss limit behavior in a population of electronic gaming machine players. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/adb0000844

Article DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/adb0000844

Keywords: behavioural tracking ; data analytics ; Electronic Gambling Machines (EGMs) ; gambling behaviours ; gender differences ; high-risk ; player tracking ; risk behaviours

Topics: Game Types ; Information for Operators ; Slots and VLTs

Conceptual Framework Factors: Gambling Types ; Cultural - Gender ; Environment - Responsible Gambling ; Cultural Factors

Study Design: Observational: Longitudinal

Geographic Coverage: Norway

Study Population: Adults who were customers of Norsk Tipping and played Multix EGM between 2013 and December 2018 (N = 184,113)

Sampling Procedure: The data were provided and anonymized by Norsk Tipping.

Study Funding:

This study was funded by the Research Council of Norway.