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Gambling activities are rapidly migrating online. Algorithms that effectively detect at-risk users could improve the prevention of online gambling-related harms. We sought to identify machine learning algorithms capable of detecting self-reported gambling problems using demographic and behavioral data. Online gamblers were recruited from all licensed online gambling platforms in France by the French Online Gambling Regulatory Authority (ARJEL). Participants completed the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), and these data were merged and synchronized with past-year online gambling behaviors recorded on the operators' websites. Among all participants (N = 9,306), some users reported betting exclusively on sports (N = 1,183), horseracing (N = 1,711), or poker (N = 2,442) activities. In terms of Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve (AUC), our algorithms showed excellent performance in classifying individuals at a moderate-to-high (PGSI 5+; AUC = 83.20%), or high (PGSI 8+; AUC = 87.70%) risk for experiencing gambling-related harms. Further, these models identified novel behavioral markers of harmful online gambling for future research. We conclude that machine learning can be used to detect online gamblers at-risk for experiencing gambling problems. Using algorithms like these, operators and regulators can develop targeted harm prevention and referral-to-treatment initiatives for at-risk users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: To describe gambling practices and trends in Quebec between 2009 and 2012 given that, in Canada, public funding allocation to address the risks associated with gambling practices should be based on valid prevalence data and knowledge of patterns and trends in vulnerable populations. METHODS: The study data were taken from the 2009 and 2012 cross-sectional waves of the Enquete sur les habitudes de jeu des Quebecois (ENHJEU-Quebec). The analytical sample consisted of 11,888 respondents in 2009 and 12,008 respondents in 2012. RESULTS: The prevalence of lifetime non-gamblers in the adult population of Quebec increased from 13.6% in 2009 to 16.4% in 2012, and past-year gambling participation decreased from 70.5% to 66.2%. Changes in gambling patterns were not contingent on demographic characteristics; gambling prevalence decreased in all subcategories. The proportion of problem and low-risk gamblers remained unchanged, whereas the prevalence of non-problem gamblers decreased significantly from 66.1% in 2009 to 61.5% in 2012. CONCLUSION: Gambling participation in Quebec is decreasing, though the proportion of problem gamblers remains stable. Given these findings, allocation of public resources for health care services should be maintained. Secondary and primary prevention efforts need to be initiated or maintained to prevent gambling harm. KEY WORDS: Gambling; pathological gambling; risk; prevalence studies; epidemiology OBJECTIFS: Decrire les pratiques de jeux de hasard et d'argent (JHA) au Quebec entre 2009 et 2012, tenant compte du fait qu'au Canada, l'allocation de fonds publics pour la prevention des risques associes aux pratiques de JHA se base sur des donnees de prevalence valides et les tendances observees dans les populations vulnerables. METHODES: Les donnees proviennent des vagues transversales de l'Enquete sur les habitudes de jeu des Quebecois (ENHJEU-Quebec) de 2009 et 2012. Les echantillons incluent 11 888 repondants en 2009 et 12 008 repondants en 2012. RESULTATS: La prevalence des individus n'ayant jamais joue a des JHA dans la population adulte du Quebec a augmente de 13,6% en 2009 a 16,4% en 2012, tandis que la participation aux JHA a diminue de 70,5% a 66,2% dans la derniere annee. Les analyses ne revelent pas d'associations significatives entre les habitudes de JHA et les caracteristiques demographiques des repondants; la prevalence des JHA a generalement decru pour tous les sous-groupes sociodemographiques. La proportion de joueurs problematiques et de joueurs a faible risque est demeuree inchangee, alors que la prevalence des joueurs non-problematiques a diminue significativement de 66,1% en 2009 a 61,5% en 2012. CONCLUSION: La participation aux JHA au Quebec est en diminution, bien que la proportion de joueurs reste stable. Etant donne ces resultats, l'allocation de ressources publiques pour les services de sante doit etre maintenue. Les efforts pour la prevention primaire et secondaire doivent etre deployes ou maintenus pour prevenir les mefaits associes aux JHA. MOTS CLES: JHA; jeu pathologique; risque; etudes de prevalence; epidemiologie La traduction du resume se trouve a la fin de l'article. Can J Public Health 2015;106(3):e115-e120 doi: 10.17269/CJPH.106.4854, Since the legalization of gambling in Canada in 1969, increased public funding has been allotted to the prevention of risky gambling practices and the treatment of gambling disorders. The allocation [...]

Objective: Student drinking is largely related to the setting of the drinking occasion as well as to individual psychosocial characteristics. This article assesses the effect of the reasons for drinking on situational alcohol use above and beyond other environmental and individual factors. Method: The data were drawn from the Canadian Campus Survey, a national mail survey conducted in 1998 with a sample of 8,864 students in 18 universities. Each student provided information on up to five drinking occasions, resulting in 25,347 drinking occasions among 6,598 drinkers. At the individual level, this study focused on the university life experience. At the situational level, information about alcohol intake was recorded relative to why, when, where and with whom drinking occurred and the reasons for drinking. Results: Our results show that the reasons for drinking explain 8.3% of the variance in individual alcohol intake per occasion at the individual level and 8.1% at the drinking occasion level. Conclusions: Reasons for drinking and the drinking setting together influence consumption. Moreover, reasons are context specific, because students drink for different reasons in different contexts. Thus, contextual motivational models may be more effective in helping one understand the various pathways to alcohol use and misuse., DRINKING IS A SIGNIFICANT ASPECT of the university campus lifestyle. The majority of college students drink alcohol, and a large number can be classified as heavy drinkers (O'Hare, 1990; Wechsler [...]

Using a multi-level approach, we examined the contribution of drinking setting characteristics and of individual characteristics on the alcohol intake per drinking occasion. The data are drawn from the Canadian Campus Survey, a national mail survey conducted in 1998 with a random sample of 8,864 students in 18 universities. For each student, up to five drinking occasions were investigated, resulting in 26,348 drinking occasions among 6,850 drinkers. At the individual level this study focused on the university life experience. At the situational level, information about alcohol intake was recorded relative to why, when, where and with whom drinking occurred. Our results show that drinking setting is as important as the individual characteristics in explaining the alcohol intake per occasion. Policies aimed at reducing students alcohol intake may be more beneficial if they address both situational and individual factors. Keywords: Alcohol consumption; Drinking occasion; University students; Multilevel models; Canada