What do poker players think about prevention messages?

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Author(s): Morvannou, Adèle ; Monson, Eva ; Savard, Annie-Claude ; Kairouz, Sylvia ; Roy, Élise ; Dufour, Magali

Journal: Canadian Journal of Public Health

Year Published: 2020

Date Added: June 11, 2020

This study was based on interviews with 12 men from Québec, Canada, between the ages of 21–40 years old. The participants had to have played some form of poker at a casino, bar, poker hall, tournament, or online gambling site in the past year. Interviews were conducted to understand poker players’ thoughts around prevention messages in gambling. The poker players did not think that prevention messages were directed towards them. They saw these messages as lacking an awareness of the reality of poker playing. Thus, there was a lack of personal connection with these prevention messages. The players described using different personal strategies to reduce the risk of gambling problems. Based on their findings, the researchers made several suggestions to improve the uptake of prevention messages among poker players.

Citation: Morvannou, A., Monson, E., Savard, A. C., Kairoua, S., Roy, E., & Dufour, M. (2020). “It did not apply to me”: Poker players’ perspectives of prevention messages. Canadian Journal of Public Health. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.17269/s41997-019-00283-4

Article DOI: https://doi.org/10.17269/s41997-019-00283-4

Keywords: harm reduction ; prevention ; problem gambling ; qualitative

Topics: Gambling Resources ; Information for Operators ; Information for Treatment Providers ; Prevention

Conceptual Framework Factors: Gambling Types ; Resources - Harm Reduction, Prevention, and Protection ; Gambling Resources

Response Rate: 60%

Study Design: Secondary Data Analysis

Geographic Coverage: Canada, Quebec

Study Population: Poker players 18 years or older that gambled in the past 12 months, self-identified as poker players, and spoke French or English (N = 12). All participants were men.

Sampling Procedure: This study was part of a larger mixed-methods research project. Advertisements were posted in local newspaper advertisements and online poker sites. Participants were also recruited from locations that poker player met to play (e.g., casinos, poker halls, tournaments, and bars). Players must have been 18 years of age or older, played poker for money in the past year, spoke French or English, and self-identified as poker players. For the qualitative interviews, the researchers selected participants who demonstrated a certain level of passion for poker playing based on the Gambling Passion Scale. They also selected participants at varying levels of gambling risk based on the PGSI. Out of the 20 poker players selected to participate in additional interview screening, 12 players accepted and moved forward with the study.

Study Funding:

This research was supported by the founding agency Fonds québécois de la recherche sur la société et la culture under grant.