Jamie Wiebe, PhD

New Horizons in Responsible Gambling Conference, VancouverFebruary 20-22, 2017

From Education to Application

Improving Responsible Gambling Practice and Behaviour

GOAL

OBJECTIVE

• Improve the promotion and adoption of responsible gambling behaviour and player support service provision

• Discuss practical ways to effectively promote safer gambling behaviours, with insights on what we know about how best to influence people

DEFINITIONS AND PERSPECTIVES

• No single definition of responsible gambling• Positive actions that can help to limiting risks and

prevent harm• Many perspectives on RG, differ in context and

strategies

Executing a Responsible Gambling InitiativeDefine your Target GroupOutline your ObjectivesChoose your ChannelsSelect your MessageKnow your AudienceTest and Evaluate

Define your Target Group

Gamblers

Gambling staff

Friends and family

TARGET GROUPS FOR RGLow Risk Gamblers

No Risk Gamblers

Outline your Objectives

CONSIDER THE KIND OF PLAYERS

(RGC 2010)

Choose your Channels

• Nudges alter how choices are presented• Favour the most beneficial choice by making

it the most attractive, easiest, or default• RG nudges:

– Self-Exclusion– Break Prompts– Distancing ATMs/RG Messaging– Voluntary Limit Setting

NUDGES

(Thaler and Sunstein 2008)

INSIDE THE GAMBLING VENUE

Messaging: Player Support:

• Posters• Brochures and Pamphlets• Player Activity Reports • Audio-Visual Ads• Gaming Staff and RG Staff

• RG Staff• Credit Access Limitations• Treatment Referral

• Public awareness campaigns• Prevalence surveys • Peer-reviewed publications• RG conferences• School programs

OUTSIDE THE GAMBLING VENUE

Current RGC Awareness Campaign

PEOPLE AS CHANNELS

• Be creative• People can be used for RG messaging• RG for those at key points of access

– Primary Health Care Providers– Bank Employees– HR Personnel

Select your Message

• Positive frames for prevention behaviours

• Negative frames for detection behaviours

• Focus on social consequences and consequences for others

FRAMING

Positive Prevention Ad

(Gallagher and Updegraff 2012; Keller and Lehmann,2010; Rothman et al.,2006)

Negative Detection Ad

Other Consequences Ad

• Fear appeals are effective but risky• Narratives are more influential

than factual statements• Images increase the impact of

communications

CONTENT

Fear Appeal with Narrative

(Houts et al. 2006:; Shen et al 2015; Witte and Allen 2000)

Messages can be personalized and

tailored to an individual’s health

situation

TAILORING

(Krebs, et al. 2010; Lustria et al.,2013; Noar et al. 2007)

Tailored more effective than non-tailored• Relevant• Attention-getting• Deeply processed• Remembered• Viewed positively

PERSONALIZED AND TAILORED MESSAGES

CULTURAL TARGETING• Cultural targeting increases message

relevance and acceptance, and behaviours• Target cultural groups using:

– Colours, images, and music– People and language– Group-specific evidence– Cultural understandings of health

(Devos-Comby and Salovey 2002; Kreuter et al. 2003)

BEWARE OF LABELLING

• Avoid labelling people or their behaviour• ‘Problem gambler’ label has negative impacts

– Stigma and stereotyping– Distance and judgment– Reduced self-esteem, confidence in quitting– Physical health problems– Secrecy and treatment avoidance

(Hing et al. 2016)

Know your Audience

• Promotion focus on achieving good health or prevention focus on avoiding poor health

• Promotion = achievement behaviours and positive frames• Prevention = avoidance behaviours and negative frames

PROMOTION OR PREVENTION FOCUS

(Higgins 2002; Lee and Aaker 2004)

Positive Promotion Ad Negative Prevention Ad

PRESENT OR FUTURE FOCUS

• Present-focused emphasize immediate consequences, future-focused emphasize delayed consequences

• Present-focused: immediate benefits, delayed negative consequences

• Future-focused: immediate negative consequences, delayed benefits

(Orbell and Kyriakaki 2008)

Delayed Benefits Ad

• Higher perceived risk – vulnerability to and severity of the health threat – predicts behaviour change

• Negative frames for high risk, positive frames for low risk

• Increased using negative frames, daily health risks, and featuring frequent behaviours

PERCEIVED RISK

(Chandra and Menon 2004; Lee and Aaker 2004; Menon et al. 2002; Witte and Allen 2000)

Daily Risk Ad

• Higher health involvement – motivation, relevance, attention to health – leads to healthier behaviours

HEALTH INVOLVEMENT

StatisticsModerately Fearful Strong Messages

ImagesModerately Fearful Positive Frames

Consequences for OthersSource Credibility

Humour

(Jayanti and Burns, 1998; Keller and Lehmann 2010; Petrovici and Ritson,2006; Yoon and Tinkham 2013)

• Perceived effectiveness – the belief that the recommended action will address the health threat – predicts health behaviours

• Can be increased by health messages• High = positive AND negative frames• Low = negative frames

PERCEIVED EFFECTIVENESS

High Effectiveness Ad

(Becheur et al.,2008; Block and Keller 1995; Witte and Allen 2000)

• Perceived ability – a person’s belief in whether they can implement a recommended solution to a health threat – leads to behaviour change

1. Ability to make the decision2. Ability to maintain the behaviour change

• Can be increased by health messages

PERCEIVED EFFECTIVENESS

High Ability Ad

(Becheur et al. 2008; Schwarzer and Renner 2000; Witte and Allen 2000)

• Improve message understanding and impact with:– Two or three concepts– Simple illustrations– Simple wording– No unnecessary words– Clear and logical formatting– Small-numbered ratios (1-in-3 vs. 6-in-15) – Round numbers (50% vs. 50.21%)

HEALTH LITERACY AND NUMERACY

(Schlosser, 2012; Seligman et al. 2007; Zhang & Wadhwa, 2015)

Test and Evaluate

ALWAYS TEST YOUR INITIATIVES

• Fit the objectives to the target group• Be creative when selecting dissemination channels• Carefully consider the details of the message and the audience• Test your initiatives before and after implementation

CONCLUDING REMARKS

Thank you!

Jamie Wiebe, DirectorResearch and DevelopmentResponsible Gambling Council jamiew@rgco.org

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