Harvard Study

[autobet]

The study claim moderate behavior among the majority of online gamblers.

Harvard Study (http://www.pokernews.com/news/2007/6/harvard-study-finds-fears-about-online-gambling-unsupported.htm)

[Richas]

I would be cautious about studies on sports betting and "moderate" behaviour when applying it to poker. The problem is the methodology. Essentially they are measuring "problem" by the frequency and duration of betting. This report is pleased to see that most sports bettors reduce their frequency and level of betting as they lose, they are not chasing losses. Great but if you surveyed many perfectly sensible online poker players you would get some very nasty numbers in terms of the frequency and size of betting and for many the time spent playing and the level played at would not alter over the short run if you hit a losing streak.

Many (most?) of us and most winning players would show up in this sort of study as problem gamblers. We tend to play often (daily?) we tend to place lots of bets (8 table grinding anyone?). People who play a lot of MTTs might well expect to lose 10 on the trot and not sweat it because the bankroll is in place, indeed we might play more MTTs because the limiting factor is not the bankroll it is the time we can put to the game.

Whenever I look at the total I have wagered via tournament entries I am staggered, I do all right, there is no way I would wager thousands and thousands if the risk was really those thousands to my family but a badly constructed study would show my "gambling" as excessive in terms of proportion of household income, frequency, duration.... the lot and I have not deposited for a year.

[whangarei]

Good points, Richas. For a study like this to have much meaning, at least in poker, they would probably have to separate the numbers for the casual gambler from the sharks. From the article:

[ QUOTE ]
As the authors point out, such a finding is particularly significant since "a hallmark feature of gambling-related problems might be the continuation of gambling despite adverse consequences."

[/ QUOTE ]

But we know that "a hallmark feature of sharks is the continuation of gambling despite adverse consequences."

[poorolrich]

As a general rule laws--rules--regulations are made because of the actions of a minority of the citezens, not the majority. So, if a small amount of people are selling the farm becuase of gambling then this is all the congressmen will hear.

[AzDesertRat]

Who is going to protect us from overzealous politicians and the people that vote for them?