Although most gamblers set a monetary limit on their play, many exceed this limit—an antecedent of problematic gambling. Responsible gambling tools may assist players to gamble within their means. Historically, however, the impact of such tools has been assessed in isolation. In the current research, two responsible gambling tools that target adherence to a monetary limit were assessed among 72 electronic gaming machine (EGM) players. Participants watched an educational animation explaining how EGMs work (or a neutral video) and then played an EGM in a virtual reality environment. All participants were asked to set a monetary limit on their play, but only half were reminded when that limit was reached. Results showed that both the animation and pop-up limit reminder helped gamblers stay within their preset monetary limit; however, an interaction qualified these main effects. Among participants who did not experience the pop-up reminder, those who watched the animation stayed within their preset monetary limits more than those who did not watch the animation. For those who were reminded of their limit, however, there was no difference in limit adherence between those who watched the animation and those who did not watch the animation. From a responsible gambling perspective, the current study suggests that there is no additive effect of exposure to both responsible gambling tools. Therefore, for minimal disruption in play, a pop-up message reminding gamblers of their preset monetary limit might be preferred over the lengthier educational animation.

A failure to set and adhere to monetary limits has been implicated in the development of problematic gambling. A randomized controlled experiment (N = 59) with 2 conditions (i.e., monetary limit pop-up reminder vs. no monetary limit pop-up reminder) was conducted to assess the value of monetary limit pop-up messages in increasing adherence to self-proclaimed monetary limits. The current research also examined dissociation as a potential mechanism by which gambling symptomatology may undermine adherence to monetary limits. Results revealed that participants who received a monetary limit pop-up reminder were significantly more likely to adhere to monetary limits than participants who did not. As predicted, dissociation mediated the relationship between gambling symptomatology and adherence to monetary limits, but only among those who did not receive a monetary limit pop-up reminder. Importantly, the forced stop in play created by the pop-up message did not heighten craving to continue gambling. The efficacy of monetary limit pop-up messages as a tool to facilitate responsible gambling is discussed.

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Objective: As part of a study exploring school food environments, this study aimed to understand youth perspectives of school food. Design: Photovoice, a qualitative visual methodology, was used to engage participants through phototaking, with goals of enabling reflection, promoting dialogue, and facilitating change. Setting: Participants were recruited through 2 youth-focused community organizations in Nova Scotia, Canada. Participants: Seven youths took part: 3 from a rural area and 4 from an urban center. Phenomenon of Interest: Youth perspectives on school food environments. Analysis: The photovoice process of selecting, contextualizing (using the SHOWeD method), and codifying was used for analysis. Results: Four themes were identified. First, spaces and places were important to youth food experiences. Second, key components of food environments were identified as quality, variety, time, and price. Third, the relation between food and social influence was highlighted. Fourth, the importance of amplifying youth voice was discussed. Conclusions and Implications: Youth emphasized a desire for greater variety and quality in affordable school food options and the opportunity to be involved in decision-making regarding school food. Future research in other contexts and across larger samples is warranted to extend these findings to help inform stakeholders in school food policy and program implementation.

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