Poker Players With Experience and Skill Are Not ‘‘Ill’’: Exposing a Discrepancy in Measures of Problem Gambling

Authors

  • Michael Laakasuo University of Helsinki, Institute of Behavioural Sciences, Cognitive Science unit
  • Jussi Palomäki University of Helsinki, Institute of Behavioural Sciences, Cognitive Science unit
  • Mikko Salmela Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies

Abstract

Many studies suggest that in poker, amount of money wagered and time spent playing are prominent predictors of problem gambling. These observations are in discord with anecdotal and empirical evidence. Due to the skill component inherent in poker, active players who play for long hours attempting to make a profit—sometimes by wagering large amounts of money—might be labeled as problem gamblers despite having high levels of well-being and financial stability. In three online correlative studies, we assessed the associations between poker experience, problem gambling (as indicated by the South Oaks Gambling Screen [SOGS] and the Problem Gambling Severity Index [PGSI]) and various measures of social and emotional well-being, self-control and emotion regulation. Problem gambling severity predicts reduced well-being and self-control, increased social anomie, and detrimental emotion regulation. Experienced poker players exhibited high problem gambling severity, but none of the adverse consequences thereof. Thus, a discrepancy was exposed concerning the validity of SOGS and PGSI. We conclude that these measures may not be valid in assessing problematic/detrimental gambling in poker-playing populations, especially in the case of experienced players, who play for long hours in order to make money. The concepts of problem gambling and poker experience should be disentangled.

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Author Biographies

Michael Laakasuo, University of Helsinki, Institute of Behavioural Sciences, Cognitive Science unit

Michael Laakasuo has conducted research on various topics, and collaborated with research teams evaluating the underpinnings of emotions and decision making from psychological and sociological perspectives.

Jussi Palomäki, University of Helsinki, Institute of Behavioural Sciences, Cognitive Science unit

Jussi Palomäki is Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Helsinki, Institute of Behavioral Sciences, Cognitive Science Unit. His primary research interest involves understanding the underpinnings of emotion-driven decision making – particularly as seen in tilting behavior during poker play. He will defend his doctoral thesis about this topic on November 29, 2013.

Mikko Salmela, Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies

Mikko Salmela, D.Soc.Sci. (University of Helsinki, 1998), is an Academy Research Fellow at Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies and a member of Finnish Centre of Excellence in the Philosophy of Social Sciences. Salmela is specialized in theoretical and applied philosophy of emotions from an interdisciplinarily informed perspective.

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Published

2016-05-30

Issue

Vol. 1 (2016): Journal of Gambling and Commercial Gaming Research

Section

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