Mark Griffiths, Professor of Behavioral Addiction at Nottingham Trent University, has been ranked 24th in the world among Research.com’s list of Best Scientists in Psychology. He has also earned the site’s Psychology Leader Award three times in a row. Let’s take a deeper look at the groundbreaking research on gambling addiction that earned him these titles.

Brief Biography of Dr. Mark Griffiths

Professor Griffiths began his career teaching at the University of Exeter while working on a PhD thesis about fruit machine addiction. Since 1995, he has worked as a Professor of Gambling Studies at Nottingham Trent University. Aside from teaching, he’s also an independent researcher, publishing widely cited books and papers like:

• Adolescent Gambling – 1995
• Problem Gambling in Europe: Challenges, Prevention and Intervention (2009)
• Internet gambling: An online empirical study among student gamblers (2008)

Prof. Griffiths has also served on committees like GamCare and the National Council of Gambling. Currently, he is a consultant for organizations like the UKGC, helping them develop responsibility policies and assess their impact on players. Beyond gambling, his research focus also extends to video game and internet addiction.

The Three Characteristics That Affect Gambling Behavior

Last month, we were honored to have the professor join us on our iGamingCare Podcast to discuss addiction. According to him, there is no individual biological factor that indicates someone is prone to addiction. However, he mentions three fundamental characteristics:

• Individual – a person’s beliefs and attitude
• Situational – marketing, promotions, sounds in a casino
• Structural – stake and jackpot size, game speed

While none of the characteristics individually lead to addiction, their combined influence is what can lead to issues. One of the factors mentioned is the psychology of the near miss. If players believe their reward is just out of reach, they may be enticed to play for more extended periods. However, that by itself does not equate to addiction.

Event Frequency

Among these characteristics, Prof. Griffiths believes event frequency is fundamental. For example, a game that lets you play constantly can be more addictive than a bi-weekly lottery. Constant reinforcement can lead to bad habits, which is how addiction is formed.

According to him, anything with a reward mechanism can be addictive, so event frequency can also apply to things like social media. He also believes that addiction is complex, and even his colleagues might have different interpretations of what counts as addiction. While event frequency may be important, it does not paint the whole picture.

Six Aspects of Gambling Addiction

Dr. Griffiths has been studying addiction for nearly 40 years and believes that addiction can be represented through six components. All six must be present for a person’s behavior to be considered as addictive. While people may exhibit a few of these components, that doesn’t constitute addiction. The six aspects include:

• Salience – gambling is the most essential thing in your life
• Mood modification – gambling to destress or become happy
• Tolerance – gambling more and more to get the same excitement
• Withdrawal symptoms – this can include physiological ones like stomach cramps
• Conflict – gambling compromises your life, job, relationships
• Relapse – relapsing into bad habits after some time

By this definition, very few people experience addiction, although Griffiths does claim these can be signs of problem gambling. He also believes you can be enthusiastic about any hobby without becoming addicted. It can be considered enthusiasm if it adds to your life.

Gambling’s Perception and Advertisement

Society’s perception of gambling has somewhat softened, according to Griffiths, but the media still tends to portray it as a vice. He believes that this negative perception is one of the reasons it’s popular among young people, as they like taking risks. The professor takes a neutral stance on gambling, which helps with his research.

This negative perception can also affect advertising, as some people want to ban gambling adverts. According to Griffiths, the rise in advertisements has not led to more people gambling. However, they may entice problem gamblers to relapse, and minors might get influenced. It’s crucial to ensure adverts do not target those people, but that can be difficult with the internet.

The professor also believes that the way you address addiction is essential. Problem gamblers aren’t necessarily ones with such a diagnosis, as they may fulfill only a few of the criteria. However, since the two terms are used interchangeably, some people use them to justify their addiction. That’s why he believes policymakers need to work alongside operators.

Gambling on the Internet

In 1996, Griffiths published a paper titled “Gambling on the Internet: A brief note” becoming one of the first academics to write about the field. He believes the gambling industry always makes use of new technology, so the rise of internet gambling is not surprising. Since people can use VPNs, it also becomes harder to block their access to online casinos.

Prof. Griffiths believes that people like the accessibility and convenience of online gambling, which is why it will become even more prevalent in the future. That’s why it’s important to implement tools like personalized messaging and spending limits to protect players. He also believes that internet gambling can be safer than offline gambling because of these tools, as they can help players control their habits.

Conclusion

Prof. Griffiths is undoubtedly one of the most influential academics in the field of gambling addiction. He believes that since many people gamble in some form, it’s better to create targeted regulations than ban gambling. Add fine-tuned responsible gambling tools to the mix, and you’ve got the key to safe online gambling.