Gambling Warning Messages: The Impact of Winning and Losing on Message Reception across a Gambling Episode

Warning messages prevent and modify risk-taking behaviors. When controlling the outcome of each wager, studies suggest such messages can increase a player’s knowledge about gambling-specific risks, modify their gambling-related cognitive distortions, and even change play. The present study takes the next step by asking if the reception of the warning message is influenced by the player’s experience of winning or losing.

In a laboratory study, participants were randomly assigned to a winning or losing gambling experience where they either viewed periodic warning messages or not. Using a mixed model analysis, the influence of the warning messages was related to players’ winning or losing over the course of the wagering session. Those in the warning message-win condition made the fewest number of spins, F (3,144) = 3.1, p < .05, and did not increase their betting rate over the course of play compared to the losing or no message conditions. Those in the warning message-loss condition decreased the size of their bets over the course of play compared to those who received messages while winning, t (24671) = -7.9, p < .05.

Whether an individual is winning or losing may have significant consequences on the impact of a warning message. Whereas a message to change gambling behavior may be able to encourage a winning gambler to stop play, the same message for a losing player may lead to a small minimization in harm by helping them to decrease their bet size.