Beyond illusion of control: an interpretative phenomenological analysis of gambling in the context of information technology

Parke, A and Griffiths, MD ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8880-6524, 2012. Beyond illusion of control: an interpretative phenomenological analysis of gambling in the context of information technology. Addiction Research and Theory, 20 (3), pp. 250-260. ISSN 1606-6359

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Abstract

Previously, it was widely accepted that commercial gambling operates at a negative expected utility, and those individuals who believe to have influence over gambling outcomes to the extent of being consistently profitable were likely to have erroneous cognitive biases. The relationship between cognitive biases, such as illusion of control, and persistent gambling has been demonstrated in multiple studies. Recent explorative research has proposed that many individuals perceive that via application of information technology (IT) there is scope to influence gambling outcomes, to the extent of becoming consistently profitable. The objective of this study was to explore how the proposed concept of profitable, controlled gambling via IT is affecting how individuals understand and execute their gambling behaviour. This study used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and aimed to produce a detailed understanding of how the concept affects gambling attitudes, behaviour and experiences of seven adult, frequent gamblers. The IPA produced three super-ordinate themes accounting for impact of IT on their gambling attitudes and experiences: Maturational Developments, ‘I’ve Had My Own Epiphany’, and ‘There Are Much More Lucrative and Secure Ways to Make Money With Less Effort’. The implications of the emergent themes on gambling behaviour are discussed in detail, with particular reference to their relationship to responsible gambling behaviour.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Addiction Research and Theory
Creators:	Parke, A. and Griffiths, M.D.
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Date:	2012
Volume:	20
Number:	3
ISSN:	1606-6359
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	EPrints Services
Date Added:	09 Oct 2015 11:12
Last Modified:	09 Jun 2017 13:52
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/24327

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