Matthew Rockloff

• PhD
• Professor (Full) at Central Queensland University

Purpose of Review This review examines the evolution of gambling-related harm (GRH) measurement over the past two decades, highlighting the shift from repurposed problem gambling severity measures to dedicated GRH instruments. It aims to clarify the importance of grounding GRH as an impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and address chall...

Gambling-related harm can extend to family members and friends but few population-representative studies have investigated affected other (AO) prevalence estimates and profiles in the general population. Using data from the 5000 adult respondents in the Fourth Social and Economic Impact Study of Gambling in Tasmania, this study aimed to: (1) identi...

There is almost no research on adolescent gambling from the perspective of parents, despite their important role in preventing adolescent engagement in potentially risky and harmful activities. This study used a quantitative online survey of 1,185 parents (69% mothers) of adolescents (aged 12 to 17 years) to examine parental attitudes and knowledge...

Wagering affiliate marketing is a performance-based system where online wagering operators pay third parties (affiliates) to recruit and engage customers for them. Despite widespread use, it has attracted limited research attention in Australia and elsewhere. This exploratory Australian study aimed to capture key informant perspectives on (1) the k...

Quantitative self-report measures for gambling-related harm experienced by gamblers themselves are established in the literature, whereas similar measures of gambling-related harm to affected others (AOs, a.k.a. concerned significant others) are given less attention. The impact of gambling-related harm varies significantly among different relations...

Background and Aims Electronic gaming machines (EGMs) are a significant source of gambling spend due to their widespread use. Skill-based gambling machines (SGMs) represent an innovative adaptation, merging EGMs' chance-based rewards with video game-like skills. This study aimed to explore the appeal and behavioural consequences of playing SGMs in...

The importance of safeguarding young people from harmful gambling is widely acknowledged, but limited research has sought adolescents’ perspectives on strategies to provide this protection. The current study addresses this gap in understanding. Eighty-nine Australians aged 12–17 years, classed as either at-risk/problem gamblers, non-problem gambler...

Background: Although past research has shown a strong association between gambling participation and harms, relatively few studies have attempted to quantify the cost of these harms to society. The need to quantify costs has been identified in several countries, however, no consensus exists in the field of gambling studies on how one should estimat...

Aims Understanding how gambling harm is distributed is essential to inform effective harm reduction measures. This first national Australian study of gambling harm-to-self examined the extent, distribution, risk factors, and health related quality of life (HRQoL) impacts of this harm. Methods A Random Digit Dialling sample of 15,000 Australian adu...

Background Gambling abstinence when underage lowers the risk of harmful gambling in later life. However, little research has examined why many young people refrain from gambling, even though this knowledge can inform protective strategies and lower risk factors to reduce underage gambling and subsequent harm. This study draws on the lived experienc...

Research provides insights into the self-regulatory strategies (SRSs) gamblers use, but evidence supporting their efficacy is weak. Study 1 aimed to identify a set of SRSs that best predict less harmful gambling amongst electronic gaming machine (EGM) players who are most vulnerable to EGM-related harm. Study 2 aimed to test their efficacy as a bri...

New gambling products have been developed over time as technology permits. For example, early mechanical slot machines were later replaced by electronic gaming machines (EGMs), which enabled a faster speed of play and more immersive experience. EGMs have in the decades since their invention become one of the main drivers of gambling expenditure wor...

Background and aims COVID-19 lockdowns limited access to gambling but simultaneously elevated psychosocial stressors. This study assessed the relative effects of these changes on gambling risk status during and after the Australian COVID-19 lockdown from late-March to late-May 2020. Methods The study administered three surveys to people who had ga...

The Core Knowledge Confusions scale (CKC) was designed to predict paranormal and spiritual beliefs, alternative health beliefs and the degree to which people assign meaning to events. It measures the likelihood of individuals' tendency to accept ontologically confused content as literally true and has been used to investigate beliefs such as the pa...

Background and aims Smartphone, computer and land-based betting platforms each have distinctive features. This study examined 1) preferred features of sports betting platforms amongst young adults and 2) whether feature preferences vary with gambling severity. Methods The study surveyed 616 Australians aged 18–29 years who bet at-least monthly on...

Aims. Understanding how gambling harm is distributed is essential to inform effective harm reduction measures. This first national Australian study of gambling harm-to-self examined the extent, distribution, risk factors, and health related quality of life impacts of this harm.Methods. A Random Digit Dialling sample of 15,000 Australian adults was...

Background and aims Simulated gambling products, like loot boxes and social casino games, contain gambling elements, but are not classified as gambling. They are available to minors, raising concerns about a “gateway effect” into gambling. This study examined the time course of young people's engagement in simulated and monetary gambling, and assoc...

Background and aims Smartphones extend the situational characteristics of sports betting beyond those available with land-based and computer platforms. This study examined 1) the role of situational features and betting platforms in harmful betting behaviours and short-term betting harm, and 2) whether people with more gambling problems have prefer...

Current industry-developed safer gambling messages such as ‘Take time to think’ and ‘Gamble responsibly’ have been criticized as ineffective slogans. As a result, Australia has recently introduced seven independently-developed safer gambling messages. The UK Government intends to introduce independently- developed messages from 2024 onwards, and th...

Effective gambling messages should curb time and money spent on gambling, since these are the behaviours proximal to gambling-related harm. Studies that aim to find what messages best achieve these objectives are scarce, and most focus on electronic gaming machine (EGM) gambling rather than sports and race betting. The present study aimed to gather...

Current industry-developed safer gambling messages such as ‘Take time to think’ and ‘Gamble responsibly’ have been criticized as ineffective slogans. As a result, Australia has recently introduced seven independently-developed safer gambling messages. The UK Government intends to introduce independently-developed messages from 2024 onwards, and thi...

A ‘gamblification’ of sport has occurred over the last 25 years. Sports betting operators are now major sponsors of sport, and gambling activities and cultures are firmly embedded into sport. This paper considers the key issues affecting harmful gambling amongst sport audiences arising from this gamblification and implications for sport management....

Background: Electronic gaming machines (EGMs) are one of the most harmful forms of gambling at an individual level. It is unclear whether restriction of EGM functions and accessibility results in meaningful reductions in population-level gambling harm. Methods: A natural policy experiment using a large (N = 15,000) national dataset weighted to s...

This study explores the lived experience of simulated gambling as young people grow up. Qualitative research with 89 Australians aged 12–17 years explored their chronological experiences of simulated gambling and monetary gambling. Reflexive thematic narrative analysis identified common and contrasting themes amongst at-risk/problem gambling, non-p...

Background Gambling abstinence when underage lowers the risk of harmful gambling in later life. However, little research has examined why many young people refrain from gambling, even though this knowledge can inform protective strategies to reduce underage gambling. This study draws on the lived experience of adolescent non-gamblers to explore how...

Background and aims: Concerned significant others (CSOs) can experience gambling-related harm, impacting their health and wellbeing. However, this harm varies depending on the type and closeness of the relationship with the person who gambles. We sought to determine the type and closeness of relationships that are more likely to experience harm fr...

Introduction: Understanding how patterns of drinking are associated with risky gambling in Australia is needed to inform an effective approach to minimise harm. Methods: This cross-sectional questionnaire study reports on 2,704 subsampled participants who completed survey questions about their patterns of drinking. With logistic regressions, we...

Background and aims: COVID-19 resulted in the shutdown of almost all sporting competitions and most venue-based gambling opportunities. This study examines how wagering operators in Australia responded, by examining their advertising. Methods: The study compared Twitter activity during lockdown (March-May 2020) to the previous year for four majo...

Background: Electronic gaming machines (EGMs) are recognised as one of the most harmful forms of gambling at an individual level. It is unclear whether restriction of EGM functions and accessibility results in meaningful reductions in population-level gambling harm. Methods: A natural policy experiment using a large (N = 15,000) nationally-represen...

Purpose of Review Gambling problems are much more common amongst people who use novel gambling products, including skin gambling, esports betting and fantasy sports betting. The exposure and adaptation effects suggest that, like a novel pathogen, new products produce gambling problems until adaptation can counteract vulnerabilities. The purpose of...

This study explores the lived experience of simulated gambling as young people grow up. Qualitative research with 89 Australians aged 12-17 years explored their chronological experiences of simulated gambling and monetary gambling. Reflexive thematic narrative analysis identified common and contrasting themes amongst at-risk/problem gambling, non-p...

Safer gambling messages are one potential input to a public health approach toward reducing gambling-related harm, and yet there is no strong evidence supporting current messages such as "gamble responsibly" or "keep the fun in the game". Furthermore, sports betting is increasing in popularity in multiple jurisdictions, such as Australia and the US...

Background and aims: It is well understood that engagement with some forms of gambling, like EGMs, is riskier than other forms. However, while reports of associations are common, few studies have attempted to evaluate and compare the relative risk of all available forms, and none have estimated the relative contribution of each form to the total b...

In cross-sectional gambling studies, friends, family, and others close to those experiencing gambling problems (concerned significant others ‘CSOs’) tend to report detriments to their quality of life. To date, however, there have been no large, population-based longitudinal studies examining the health and wellbeing of CSOs. We analyse longitudinal...

Safer gambling messages are a common public health intervention for gambling, and yet there is little evidence to support the variety of messages that are in widespread use. This paper thematically analyzed the perspectives of 21 participants – including academics, regulators and treatment providers – regarding the design characteristics of safer-g...

Safer gambling messages are a common public health intervention for gambling, and yet there is little evidence to support the variety of messages that are in widespread use. This paper thematically analysed the perspectives of 21 participants ⎼ including academics, regulators and treatment providers ⎼ regarding the design characteristics of safer-g...

Gambling harms can impact the health and wellbeing of both individuals who gamble and those close to them. While harms occur across a spectrum of gambling risk levels, most research is conducted on people close to those gamblers who have severe problems. This study examined the health and wellbeing of people living with gamblers across the entire s...

Background and aims The Short Gambling Harm Screen (SGHS) is currently the most frequently applied dedicated measure of gambling-related harm (GRH), though concerns relating to scale validity have been expressed. The current study aimed to address criticisms that several SGHS items do not depict genuine harms that may occur as a result of gambling,...

Background and aims: Legacy gambling harms are negative consequences of gambling that extend past periods of low risk, moderate risk and problem gambling. Gambling harm is typically measured within a 12-month timeframe and is often restricted to examining harm amongst active gamblers. The present research aimed to explore whether people experience...

Research reports positive associations between gaming disorder (GD) in adolescents and loot box purchasing but has not examined this relationship for other types of simulated gambling. This study examined whether greater engagement and expenditure in three types of simulated gambling were associated with meeting the criteria for GD in adolescents....

This study explored how the use of smartphones can influence sports betting by young adults, compared to using computers and land-based betting facilities. Interviews with 33 Australians aged 18–29 years, who bet regularly on sports, esports, and/or fantasy sports, were analysed using adaptive grounded theory. Seven major themes related to platform...

This study explored how the use of smartphones can influence sports betting by young adults, compared to using computers and land-based betting facilities. Interviews with 33 Australians aged 18-29 years who bet regularly on sports, esports and/or fantasy sports, were analysed using adaptive grounded theory. Seven major themes related to platform f...

COVID-19 disrupted gambling operations worldwide, due to the shutdown of almost all sporting competitions and the closure of sporting venues, and thus many venue-based gambling opportunities. The present study examines how wagering operators in Australia responded to this major change, by examining their advertising. The study compared Twitter acti...

Research reports positive associations between gaming disorder (GD) in adolescents and loot box purchasing but has not examined this relationship for other types of simulated gambling. This study examined whether greater engagement and expenditure in three types of simulated gambling were associated with meeting the criteria for GD in adolescents....

Background Over the last decade, the provision of online gambling has intensified with increased access, enhanced betting markets, a broader product range, and prolific marketing. However, little research has explored how this intensification is influencing contemporary gambling experiences. This study focused on two research questions: 1) What cha...

Simulated gambling, such as playing a virtual slot machine for points rather than money, is increasingly part of the online gaming experience for youth. This study aimed to examine (1) if youth participation in simulated gambling games is associated with participation in monetary gambling; (2) if youth participation in simulated gambling games is a...

Purpose of Review Legacy gambling harm refers to adverse consequences that extend past the period where people are actively gambling at harmful levels. These harms can affect the gambler, people close to them and the wider community. This article reviews current research that investigates legacy harms; the types of legacy harm, how long they last a...

Social casino games have achieved widespread popularity, and are accessed by more than 85 million people each day. Yet, why people play social casino games is largely unknown. To address this gap, an inductive approach was taken to better understand the motives for playing social casino games, as well as the motives for transitioning from social ca...

Background and aims: Gambling-related harm to concerned significant others (CSOs) is an important public health issue since it reduces CSOs' health and wellbeing in numerous life domains. This study aimed to 1) estimate the first national prevalence of CSOs harmed by gambling in Australia; 2) identify the characteristics of CSOs most at risk of ha...

This study aimed to examine gambling motivations for esports betting and skin gambling and their association with gambling frequency, problems, and harm. Data were collected via a cross-sectional online survey with 736 participants aged 18 + who engaged in esports cash betting (n = 567), esports skin betting (n = 180), or skin gambling on games of...

Legal gambling is a large industry in many countries. One way some governments try to protect people from losing more than they can afford is by requiring warning labels on gambling machines and their online equivalents. Prominent labels that make the odds of winning clear serve as nudges: They promote a beneficial behavior (such as deciding that t...

Social casino games have achieved widespread popularity, and are accessed by more than 85 million people each day. Yet, why people play social casino games is largely unknown. To address this gap, an inductive approach was taken to better understand the motives for playing social casino games, as well as the motives for transitioning from social ca...

Adolescents can easily access esports betting sites and place bets using cash or skins. This descriptive cross-sectional study examined the characteristics of adolescent esports bettors and relationships between their esports betting, video gaming activities, monetary gambling participation, and at-risk/problem gambling. Two survey samples of Austr...

Background Both the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) and the Short Gambling Harms Screen (SGHS) purport to identify individuals harmed by gambling. However, there is dispute as to how much individuals are harmed, conditional on their scores from these instruments. We used an experienced utility framework to estimate the magnitude of implied i...

Background and aims Purchasing loot boxes in digital games is akin to gambling as it involves risking money for a chance-based reward of uncertain value. Research has linked buying loot boxes to problem gambling amongst adolescents, but has not examined co-occurring gambling participation. This study examined links between loot box purchasing and p...

Gambling-related harms can impact the lives of children living with someone experiencing a gambling problem. These harms have been associated with impacts across a number of domains. However, previous studies exploring gambling-related effects on the health and wellbeing of children have had conflicting results. This study aimed to further understa...

A number of studies have explored the relationship between religious beliefs and gambling (including gambling fallacies and gambling harm) but report seemingly contradictory findings. While some studies have found religious belief to be positively associated with gambling fallacies, others have found it to be a protective factor from gambling harms...

This study compared land-based-only gamblers (LBOGs), online-only gamblers (OOGs), and mixed-mode gamblers (MMGs), based on a 2019 Australian national telephone survey (N = 15,000). It examined 1) prevalence, demographics and gambling behaviours, 2) problematic gambling, 3) most harmful gambling forms, 4) gambling-related harms-to-self, and 5) risk...

Cost-of-play information is one public health intervention recommended to help reduce gambling-related harm. In the UK, this information is given on electronic gambling machines in a format known as the “return-to-player”, e.g., “This game has an average percentage payout of 90%.” However, previous evidence suggests that this information could be i...

Esports betting and skin gambling involve betting on the outcomes of video game competitions and/or using virtual currencies for betting. The present study evaluated a conceptual model linking video game involvement, video-game related gambling, traditional gambling, and gambling problems and harm. Data were collected via a cross-sectional online s...

The current study examined the emotional and cognitive evaluations as well as the perceived efficacy of fear-based, text-only pop-up messages. The pop-up messages were presented when viewing a 3-minute pre-recorded video of an online roulette play. Fifty-nine people who gamble online viewed both low- and high-threat messages that reflected, by rand...

Preprint coming soon.

Harms due to excessive gambling can be experienced by gamblers and those close to them. Family gambling problems (FGPs) are currently under-researched, particularly in population-representative samples. This study aimed to identify prevalence, risk factors, and the complex of stressors and health-related consequences associated with FGPs, as well a...

UK online casino games are presently not subject to any limitations on speed-of-play or stakes. One recent policy proposal is to ensure that no online casino game can be played faster than its in-person equivalent. Another policy proposal is to limit the maximum stakes on online casino games to £2, to match the current stake limit on electronic gam...

Problem gambling can have negative impacts on both harmed gamblers, and those people close to them (concerned significant others; CSOs). Experiencing these gambling-related harms can have a significant impact on a person’s wellbeing and quality of life. Recently, the focus of research on people with gambling problems has expanded from exploring gam...

Do stressful life events cause gambling problems, or do gambling problems cause stressful life events? This study used a retrospective design to examine the temporal order of these associations. Specifically, the study employed a life course calendar in a self-directed online survey to minimise memory biases common in retrospective designs. A total...

Background and Aims Excessive time and money spent on gambling can result in harms, not only to people experiencing a gambling problem but also to their close family and friends (“concerned significant others”; CSOs). The current study aimed to explore whether, and to what extent, CSOs experience decrements to their wellbeing due to another person’...

Background and aims Skin gambling uses in-game items (skins) acquired in video games, to gamble on esports, games of chance, other competitive events and privately with friends. This study examined characteristics of adolescent skin gamblers, their engagement in monetary gambling, and relationships between skin gambling and at risk/problem gambling...

Background and aims: It is common for gambling research to focus on problem and disordered gambling. Less is known about the prevalence of gambling-related harms among people in the general population. This study aimed to develop and validate the 18-item version of the Short Gambling Harms Screen (SGHS-18). Methods: Population-representative web...

The aim of this study was to update and expand upon a previous study in 2014 and evaluate how the interactive gambling environment has changed since that time. The report used a multi-stage approach to examine interactive gambling. A literature review, environmental scan, national telephone survey, national online survey of gamblers, longitudinal...

The objective of this experiment is to assess whether priming for contamination and purity causes a change in attitudes to health interventions, including vaccination, and complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs). An online priming experiment was conducted with four between-subject experimental conditions including photos of: 1) biological co...

Background Studies have found an association between problem gambling and poverty. However, there is relatively little research on social inequalities and problem gambling using population representative data. Methods A population-representative self-report web-based and postal survey with register-based linkage was conducted in the three geograph...

Background and aims: Both the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) and the Short Gambling Harms Screen (SGHS) purport to identify individuals harmed by gambling. However, there is dispute as to how much individuals are harmed, conditional on their scores from these instruments. We used an experienced utility framework to estimate the magnitude of...

Pickering and Blaszczynski’s paper (2021) claims that the problem gambling rate is inflated in paid online convenience and crowdsourced samples. However, there is a methodological flaw in their findings: they combined problem gambling rates from samples that are specific by design (e.g. at-least monthly sports bettors), and compared them to a probl...

Do stressful life events cause gambling problems, or do gambling problems cause stressful life events? This study used a retrospective design to examine the temporal order of these associations. Specifically, the study employed a life course calendar in a self-directed online survey to minimise memory biases common in retrospective designs. A total...

Background and aims Esports betting is expanding in popularity, yet little is known about who participates in this niche gambling activity. This study aimed to determine whether esports bettors are more vulnerable to harms and problems than gamblers engaged in traditional sports betting. Methods Data were collected from 298 regular esports bettors...

Cost-of-play information is one public health intervention recommended to help reduce gambling-related harm. In the UK, this information is given on electronic gambling machines in a format known as the “return-to-player”, e.g., “This game has an average percentage payout of 90%.” However, previous evidence suggests that this information could be i...

Gambling has significant costs to the community, with a health burden similar in scale to major depression. To reduce its impact, it is necessary to understand factors that may exacerbate harm from gambling. The gambling environment of late-night licensed venues and 24/7 online gambling has the potential to negatively impact sleep and increase alco...

Many video games incorporate gambling-like elements into their design (and vice versa). Social casino games—a type of video game that mimics gambling activities—are one such example. In the current experimental research, we examined whether offering tangible rewards (i.e., rewards with value outside the game) in a social casino game was associated...

Jurisdictions around the world have a self-declared mandate to reduce gambling-related harm. However, historically, this concept has suffered from poor conceptualisation and operationalisation. However, recent years have seen swift advances in measuring gambling harm, based on the principle of it being a quantifiable decrement to the health and wel...

Pickering and Blaszczynski (2021) purport to show that the problem gambling rate is inflated in paid online convenience and crowdsourced samples. Unfortunately there is a critical methodological flaw that undermines their findings: they combined problem gambling rates from samples that are specific by design (e.g., at-least monthly sports bettors),...

Background and aims: Problem gambling severity and gambling-related harm are closely coupled, but conceptually distinct, constructs. The primary aim was to compare low-risk gambling limits when gambling-related harm was defined using the negative consequence items of the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI-Harm) and the Short Gambling Harms Scal...

UK online casino games are presently not subject to any limitations on stakes or speed-of-play. Two policy recommendations have been recently put forward: One proposal is to limit the maximum bet to £2, and another is to ensure that no online casino game can be played faster than its in-person equivalent. However, any policy proposal may be ineffec...

Background and aims Loot boxes are a common feature in video games where players win, buy or are gifted a virtual box or other container that is unwrapped to reveal virtual items of value, such as skins, weapons, in-game currency or special abilities. The current study aimed to relate the use of loot boxes to gambling problems and harm. Methods An...

Assessing the harmful consequences of gambling is an area of active investigation. One measure intended to capture gambling-related harm is the 10-item short gambling harm screen (SGHS). Although good psychometric properties have been reported, it has been suggested that the screen’s less severe probes may not represent genuinely harmful consequenc...