Alcohol and Reduction in Gambling Behavior – Does Alcohol-Induced Myopia Help?

Abstract

Prolonged and risky gambling can have negative consequences financially (e.g., loss of high amounts of money) and in health (e.g., development of an addiction). Following alcohol myopia theory (Steele & Josephs, 1990), stating that intoxicated people’s behavior is disproportionally guided by salient cues, we investigated whether making low chances of winning salient in a gambling situation can reduce persistent and risky gambling. In two laboratory studies participants either consumed alcohol or a placebo and then took part in a game of chance. In Study 1, we made low chances of winning salient by highlighting the slogan “Chance of winning: 1/1000” on a computerized slot machine. In Study 2, we made low chances of winning salient by highlighting the chances of winning on lottery tickets. Making low chances salient led intoxicated participants to gamble less persistently (Study 1) and with less risk (Study 2) compared to sober participants and compared to participants in a no-salience-control-condition (i.e., low chances not salient). Using an eye-tracker in Study 2, we observed that intoxicated (vs. sober) participants in the low-chances-salient-condition paid more attention to the salient low chances and less attention to the non-salient gains, which accounted for the effect of alcohol on reduced risk-taking. In Study 3, we replicated the findings of our first two laboratory studies in the field: When low chances were made salient by highlighting the slogan “Chance of winning 1/5000” on our computerized slot machine, the more alcohol bar patrons of a local bar had consumed, the fewer trials they played. Findings provide support for the attentional processes proposed by alcohol myopia theory; they suggest that making low chances of winning salient could be an effective intervention for reducing persistent and risky gambling under the influence of alcohol.