“It Always Depends on the Context”: Poker Players' Perceptions of Substance Use at and Beyond the Table

Session Title

Session 1-3-C: Lightning Talks

Presentation Type

Lightning Talk

Location

Park MGM, Las Vegas, NV

Start Date

23-5-2023 1:45 PM

End Date

23-5-2023 3:15 PM

Disciplines

Social Psychology

Abstract

While it is well recognized that gambling behaviours are shaped by the contexts in which they occur, less research has investigated the relationship between poker and substance use (i.e., alcohol and other drugs). Towards addressing this gap, the current study explores poker players’ perceptions of the relationship between substance use and gambling. This qualitative descriptive study is a secondary data analysis of 25 interviews with poker players conducted as part of a broader prospective cohort project. From the thematic analysis, poker players reported a relationship between substance use and gambling practices. However, players differed greatly in their decisions about whether, and how much, to use alcohol and other drugs, with individuals’ choices depending heavily on contexts and motivations. Poker players who gambled with friends who use alcohol and cannabis were more inclined to partake, as were those who chose to gamble in locations where alcohol was readily available. Consideration of contextual factors is essential to better understand risky gambling behaviours and for tailoring prevention for specific locations and at-risk players.

Keywords

poker, substance use, context, motivation, qualitative, players’ perspectives

Author Bios

Dr Morvannou is a professor at the University of Sherbrooke (Canada). She is doing research in gambling and have studied multiple years poker playing. Part of her research aims to understand the trajectories of women who have experienced harm related to gambling, stigma in help-seeking, and to assess the adequacy between services and needs.

Funding Sources

This project was financed by the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et culture (FRQSC, Québec Funds for Research on Society and Culture). Writing of this article was supported by a redaction Grant from the Institut Universitaire sur les Dépendances.

Competing Interests

All authors declare that they have no compteing interests.

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May 23rd, 1:45 PM May 23rd, 3:15 PM

“It Always Depends on the Context”: Poker Players' Perceptions of Substance Use at and Beyond the Table

Park MGM, Las Vegas, NV

While it is well recognized that gambling behaviours are shaped by the contexts in which they occur, less research has investigated the relationship between poker and substance use (i.e., alcohol and other drugs). Towards addressing this gap, the current study explores poker players’ perceptions of the relationship between substance use and gambling. This qualitative descriptive study is a secondary data analysis of 25 interviews with poker players conducted as part of a broader prospective cohort project. From the thematic analysis, poker players reported a relationship between substance use and gambling practices. However, players differed greatly in their decisions about whether, and how much, to use alcohol and other drugs, with individuals’ choices depending heavily on contexts and motivations. Poker players who gambled with friends who use alcohol and cannabis were more inclined to partake, as were those who chose to gamble in locations where alcohol was readily available. Consideration of contextual factors is essential to better understand risky gambling behaviours and for tailoring prevention for specific locations and at-risk players.