Table 1.
Characteristics and main findings of selected studies of self-excluders
| Study | Online/terrestrial | Target population | n | Design | Results | Study quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dragicevic et al. (2015) | Online | Online gamblers (76% living in Germany) | n = 1,218 (IG: n = 347; CG: n = 871) | Cross-sectional with control group | 78% of self-excluders were male | 0.80 |
| 61% self-excluded within the first 15 days, 25% within the same day of opening the gambling account | ||||||
| Time between opening account and self-exclusion was shortest among men under 25 years old | ||||||
| Average duration of a gambling session was 26 min, with on average 9 gambling sessions per day and about 20 gambling hours per month | ||||||
| Haefeli et al. (2015) | Online | German- and English-speaking online gamblers | n = 300 (IG: n = 150; CG: n = 150) | Cross-sectional with control group | 95% of self-excluders were male | 0.85 |
| Average age of self-excluders: 32 years | ||||||
| Haeusler (2016) | Online | Online gamblers (bwin.com) (98% living in Europe) | n = 2,696 (IG: n = 1,348; CG: n = 1,348) | Cross-sectional with control group | 93% of self-excluders were male | 1.00 |
| Average age of self-excluders: 31 years | ||||||
| Self-excluders made withdrawals and deposits more often and used higher amounts than non-self-excluders | ||||||
| Self-excluders canceled their withdrawals and deposits more often than non-self-excluders | ||||||
| Hayer and Meyer (2011a) | Online | Self-excluders (win2day.at) | T0: n = 259 | Longitudinal | 69% of self-excluders were male | 0.75 |
| T1: n = 29 | Average age of self-excluders: 36 years | |||||
| T2: n = 22 | Casino games most often reported as most problematic gambling activity | |||||
| T3: n = 20 | 68% problem online gamblers (Lie–Bet Questionnaire) | |||||
| Decision to self-exclude seen as a rather spontaneous action | ||||||
| 60% reported that gambling sessions lasted on average at least 60 min | ||||||
| Hayer and Meyer (2011b) | Terrestrial | Self-excluders from casinos in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland | T0: n = 152 | Longitudinal | 72% of self-excluders were male | 0.85 |
| T1: n = 39 | Average age of self-excluders: 41 years | |||||
| T2: n = 32 T3: n = 28 |
Almost half of the self-excluders excluded themselves due to gambling on slot machines | |||||
| 51% pathological gamblers (DSM-IV) | ||||||
| Decision to self-exclude reported as a rather considered choice | ||||||
| On average, first casino visit at the age of 28 years, time between first gambling and appearance of gambling related problems was 8 years | ||||||
| 28% reported an average casino visit lasted at least 5 hr, for 13% more than 7 hr | ||||||
| 40% reported about an expenditure of at least 1.235 USD per casino visit | ||||||
| 54% initiated self-exclusion due to feelings of losing control | ||||||
| 13% self-excluded due to problems at work caused by casino gambling | ||||||
| Hing and Nuske (2012) | Terrestrial | Self-excluders in South Australia | Survey: n = 36 (additional phone interview: n = 23) | Quantitative and qualitative | 56% aimed for abstinence | 0.65 |
| Monetary motives reported as extremely significant | ||||||
| Many self-excluded due to advice from family or friends | ||||||
| 63% stated that self-exclusion must be better advertised | ||||||
| Most self-excluders tried to raise additional funds to continue gambling | ||||||
| Hing, Nuske, Tolchard, and Russell (2015) | Terrestrial | Problem gamblers in Queensland (Australia) | n = 103 (self-exclusion and counseling: n = 34; only self-exclusion: n = 19; only counseling: n = 33; CG: n = 17) | Qualitative | Over 50% of self-excluders receiving counseling aimed for complete abstinence | 0.65 |
| One third of self-excluders not receiving counseling were aiming for abstinence; the majority wanted only to reduce gambling | ||||||
| Hing, Russell, Tolchard, et al. (2015) | Terrestrial | Self-excluders and gamblers receiving counseling in Queensland (Australia) | T0: n = 86 (self-exclusion and counseling: n = 34; only self-exclusion: n = 19; only counseling: n = 33) | Longitudinal | EGMs most problematic gambling form1.800 USD monthly gambling expenditure 6 months prior self-exclusionSelf-excluders had higher monthly gambling expenditures than non-self-excludersHigh urge to gamble in the last 6 month preceding self-exclusion (Gambling Urge Scale) | 0.90 |
| T1: n = 64 (self-exclusion and counseling: n = 26; only self-exclusion: n = 14; only counseling: n = 24) | ||||||
| T2: n = 51 (self-exclusion and counseling: n = 23; only self-exclusion: n = 6; only counseling: n = 22) | ||||||
| Hing et al. (2014) | Terrestrial | Regular gamblers in Queensland (Australia) |
n = 103 (IG: n = 53; CG: n = 50) |
Qualitative | EGMs reported as causing the most gambling related problems Over 50% aimed to achieve complete abstinence Motives which concerned financial aspects most frequently reported Impossibility to self-exclude from several gambling venues at the same time as a barrier |
0.80 |
| LaBrie et al. (2007) | Terrestrial | Self-excluders from casinos in Missouri (USA) | n = 6,599 | Cross-sectional | 58% of self-excluders were male | 0.95 |
| Average age of self-excluders: 43 years | ||||||
| Ladouceur et al. (2000) | Terrestrial | Self-excluders from a casino in Quebec | n = 220 | Cross-sectional | 62% of self-excluders were male | 1.00 |
| Average age of self-excluders: 41 years | ||||||
| 95% pathological gamblers (SOGS) | ||||||
| 39% indicated that, except of the casino staff, nobody got informed about their decision to self-exclude | ||||||
| 83% felt unable to stop gambling by their own control | ||||||
| 87% reported having lost a large amount of money at the casino overall (Median: 2.000 USD); 17% reported about an overall loss of more than 20.000 USD | ||||||
| 66% borrowed money in order to continue gambling | ||||||
| Ladouceur et al. (2007) | Terrestrial | Self-excluders from casinos in Quebec (Canada) | T0: n = 161 | Longitudinal | 60% of self-excluders were male | 0.82 |
| T1: n = 117 | Average age of self-excluders: 44 years | |||||
| T2: n = 83 | 61% indicated playing on EGMs as their favorite form of gambling | |||||
| T3: n = 60 T4: n = 53 |
73% pathological gamblers (DSM-V); 88% pathological gamblers (SOGS) | |||||
| 65% reported having very low or no control over their gambling behavior | ||||||
| 50% reported about an overall loss of more than 25.000 USD | ||||||
| 61% borrowed money in order to continue gambling | ||||||
| Nelson et al. (2010) | Terrestrial | Self-excluders from casinos in Missouri (USA) | n = 113 | Longitudinal | 45% of self-excluders were male | 0.95 |
| Average age of self-excluders: 45 years | ||||||
| Number of gamblers using gambling therapies more than doubled after enrolment to self-exclusion | ||||||
| 58% of self-excluders were married | ||||||
| Nower and Blaszczynski (2006) | Terrestrial | Self-excluders from casinos in Missouri (USA) | n = 2,670 | Cross-sectional | Women implemented self-exclusions at a significantly older age than men | 0.98 |
| Male self-excluders more likely to be married than female self-excluders | ||||||
| Female self-excluders reported an average casino visit expenditure of about 1.091 USD; male self-excluders of about 1.673 USD | ||||||
| Male (9%) self-excluders excluded themselves more often in order to save their jobs than female self-excluders (0%) | ||||||
| Nower and Blaszczynski (2008) | Terrestrial | Self-excluders from casinos in Missouri (USA) | n = 1,601 (18- to 35-year-olds: n = 490; 36- to 55-year-olds: n = 950; over 56-year-olds: n = 161) | Cross-sectional | Regaining control as main motive | 1.00 |
| Gambling on slot machines most frequently played | ||||||
| Older self-excluders more likely to be married than younger self-excluders | ||||||
| Older self-excluders reported the desire to save their marriage less often than younger and middle-aged self-excluders | ||||||
| Younger and middle-aged self-excluders excluded themselves more often in order to save their jobs than older self-excluders | ||||||
| Tremblay et al. (2008) | Terrestrial | Self-excluders who signed for the improved self-exclusion program for a casino in Montreal | Self-excluders who signed for the improved self-exclusion program: n = 857; completed the appreciation questionnaire at the mandatory meeting: n = 116 (voluntary meeting: n = 39; mandatory meeting: n = 77) | Longitudinal | 15 hr of gambling per week (61 hr per month) | 0.73 |
| 4.000 USD monthly spent for gambling preceding the self-exclusion |
Note. IG: intervention group; CG: control group; EGM: Electronic Gambling Machines; SOGS: South Oaks Gambling Screen.