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Author: |
Kelly, Jon; Skinner, Wayne; Wiebe, Jamie |
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Source: |
Responsible Gambling Council |
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Published: |
Oct 01, 01 |
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Description: |
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This project provides information on the gambling behaviours, knowledge and attitudes of Ontarians. The focus is broad, including: gambling practices, awareness and understanding of responsible and problem gambling and knowledge of odds and probabilities. A probability sample of 2500 Ontario adults (18 and over) completed a 23-minute telephone survey between May and September 2000. Most Ontarians (89.2 %) had heard about problem gambling, with one-third of the respondents reporting that they believe that they know someone with a gambling problem. Most respondents could only identify one characteristic of a gambling problem – the most commonly cited indicator was financial difficulties. So, although most were familiar with the term, it appears that the general population has a narrow understanding of how a gambling problem might present itself. The majority (65.8%) was not aware of any initiatives to reduce problem gambling. Questions developed to determine participants’ understanding of how gambling works showed that a fair proportion of respondents have a biased concept of random probability. A small, but significant relationship was observed between knowledge about how gambling works and responsible gambling behaviours, suggesting that strategies to promote responsible gambling should include reducing erroneous beliefs about gambling. |
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