Phillip Donaldson

Central Queensland University · School of Human, Health and Social Sciences

Automated gambling products are now a common feature on many casino floors. Despite their increasing prevalence, little research has considered the impact of converting games traditionally free from technological enhancements to automated versions. This review seeks to illustrate how automation is likely to change the way people engage and experien...

This is a report on a research project investigating Innovative Gambling Products in Australia commissioned by Gambling Research Australia. It is difficult to precisely define 'innovation' in the context of gambling products, because innovation is always bound to the present state of technological development. Technology has profoundly influenced t...

Background Harm from gambling is known to impact individuals, families, and communities; and these harms are not restricted to people with a gambling disorder. Currently, there is no robust and inclusive internationally agreed upon definition of gambling harm. In addition, the current landscape of gambling policy and research uses inadequate proxy...

Whilst many people enjoy gambling as a recreational activity, harm from gambling is known to impact individuals, families, and communities; and these harms are not restricted to people with a gambling disorder. Currently, there is no robust and inclusive internationally agreed upon definition of gambling harm. In addition, the current landscape of...

Australian research shows that stigma is a major barrier to treatment seeking (Rockloff, 2004) and may impede the accurate measurement of problem gambling prevalence. To date, no validated tool is available to assess the stigma associated with gambling. This project investigated both internally experienced and externalised (perceived) stigma associ...

Available from http://www.responsiblegambling.vic.gov.au/information-and-resources/research/foundation-research-program/published-research-library

A diverse class of stimuli, including certain foods, substances, media, and economic behaviours, may be described as 'reward-oriented' in that they provide immediate reinforcement with little initial investment. Neurophysiological and personality concepts, including dopaminergic dysfunction, reward sensitivity and rash impulsivity, each predict the...

Understanding the impact of EGM Jackpots on gambling intensity may allow targeted strategies to be implemented that facilitate harm minimisation by acting to reduce losses of gamblers who play frequently, while maintaining the enjoyment and excitement of potential jackpots. The current study investigated the influences of Hidden and Mystery Jackpot...

Relatively little research has been undertaken on the influence of jackpot structural features on electronic gaming machine (EGM) gambling behavior. This study considered two common features of EGM jackpots: progressive (i.e., the jackpot incrementally growing in value as players make additional bets), and deterministic (i.e., a guaranteed jackpot...

The Attitudes Towards Gambling Scale (ATGS) is a 14-item survey instrument examining general attitudes towards gambling (Orford et al. in Int Gambl Stud 9(1):39-54, 2009). The current study examined the validity of this scale in an Australian community sample of 1794 adults (52.8 % female). As well as considering measures of internal consistency an...

Although electronic gaming machine (EGM) jackpots are widespread, little research has yet considered the impact of this feature on gamblers' behaviour. We present the results of an in-venue shadowing study, which provided measures of player investment and persistence (e.g. number of spins, time-on-machine) from participants undertaking one or more...

Given the evidence for the motivating influence of electronic gaming machines (EGM) jackpots on intensifying player behaviour (Rockloff and Hing in J Gambl Stud 1-7, 2013), there is good reason to explore consumer-protection features. Jackpot Expiry is a potential feature of a mandatory pre-commitment system or player identification system (e.g., l...

The study examined people's spatial memory of a small-scale array of objects. Earlier work has primarily relied on short-retention intervals, and to date it is not known whether performance is affected by longer intervals between learning and recall. In the present investigation, university students studied seven target objects. Recall was tested i...

This report was commissioned by Gambling Research Australia (GRA) to examine the impact of EGM jackpots on player behaviour. Specifically, the research was devised to answer the question: “Do jackpots and linked jackpots increase the likelihood of risky gambling behaviour and gambling related harm, and to what extent do jackpots enhance the player...

The Impact of Electronic Gambling Machine Jackpots on Gambling Behaviour was a two year research study undertaken by Central Queensland University. The key research question that this study answers is: "Do jackpots and linked jackpots increase the likelihood of risky gambling behaviour and gambling related harm, and to what extent do jackpots enh...

One of the most widely used tasks in the spatial memory literature is the judgement of relative direction (JRD) test. The present investigation examined the hypothesis that standard JRD task demands bias spatial recall. In two experiments, participants' recall of small-scale layouts as measured by standard JRD tests (in which the relationship betwe...

This study examined forgetting in spatial memories acquired in a virtual environment. In the two experiments, participants learned the locations of eight objects. In Experiment 1, the objects were presented as photographs in either a laboratory or in an equivalent virtual environment. Irrespective of learning condition, accuracy of recall of the lo...