The consequences of pathological gambling negatively impact many aspects of the life of both the gambler and his relatives. This exploratory study compared the gambler's perceptions of the consequences of gambling in his life and in the life of his spouse with the perceptions that his spouse had of the same consequences. Seven couples, each including a male pathological gambler, participated in the study. Members of each couple individually completed the questionnaire. The descriptive analyses showed that each member of the couple mentioned, in addition to the financial consequences, different consequences stemming from the gambling behaviour of the gambler. The analyses revealed that the spouse perceived the consequences she experienced, as well as those experienced by the gambler, as more severe than the gambler perceived them. This paper discusses how each member of a couple that includes a pathological gambler differs in their perception of harm related to gambling.

Gambling habits of people aged 55 years and over without gambling problems are rarely being investigated. In order to document life events and to identify the impacts of gambling on quality of life, 19 participants aged 55 to 74 years without gambling problems, male and female, were assembled in three focus groups. Qualitative content analysis of the groups reveals changes in gambling habits associated with transition to retirement and occurrence of health problems. The content analysis further reveals a variety of positive and negative consequences of gambling habits on finances, hobbies, social relationships, and psychological health. Although the focus groups did not target the structural or environmental characteristics of gambling that influence participants' gambling habits, those themes were brought up spontaneously. Results highlight the necessity to study life events from a larger perspective including, for example, protective and risk factors, in order to better understand the life contexts and the individual characteristics that may lead to an alteration or not of gambling habits.

RésuméBien que la pratique du poker en ligne se trouve associée à des taux élevés de problèmes de jeu, on en sait encore peu sur ce qui distingue, dans ce cas particulier, les joueurs présentant des niveaux de problème de jeu différents. Trois groupes de joueurs (à faible risque (n = 7), à risque (n = 7) et problématiques (n = 3)) qui pratiquent le poker Texas Hold'em en ligne ont été comparés sur le plan de leurs raisons de jouer, des émotions vécues au jeu et de leurs perceptions relatives au hasard et à l'habileté. L'analyse thématique des entretiens de groupe réalisés montre que les raisons de jouer et les émotions révélées par les joueurs sont similaires dans les trois groupes. Cependant, la surestimation de l'habileté personnelle distingue les groupes des joueurs à risque et problématiques du groupe des joueurs à faible risque. Les perceptions recueillies grâce à cette étude pourront contribuer à l'élaboration ou à l'adaptation de questionnaires d'évaluation des perceptions erronées destinés aux joueurs de poker.Mots-clés: jeu en ligne, poker, perceptions, émotions, prévention, traitement. AbstractAlthough the practice of online poker is associated with high rates of gambling problems, little is yet known about what distinguishes online poker players with different levels of gambling problems. Three groups of Texas Hold'em online poker players (low-risk (n = 7), at-risk (n = 7) and problematic (n = 3)), were compared in terms of their motivations to play, their emotions experienced during play and their perceptions about chance and skill. Thematic analysis from focus groups conducted reveals that the motivations to play and emotions reported in the groups are similar. The at-risk and problematic groups distinguish themselves from the low-risk group in their overestimation of their personal skill. The beliefs gathered through this study will contribute to the development or adaptation of erroneous beliefs' questionnaires used with online poker players.

A view that is commonly held by Research Ethics Board members is that offering money as research compensation has the potential to unduly influence or even coerce subjects into participating in studies. Because money is the core resource of gambling activity, gamblers with financial needs might show an increased propensity to take part in research that offers financial compensation. We hypothesized that pathological gamblers at electronic gambling machines in venues outside of casinos would tend to cash in their compensation cheque faster than non-pathological gamblers would. The current results support this hypothesis. It is therefore necessary to understand gamblers' motivations related to research activities and the ways in which the research context can sustain rational decision making when gamblers consider taking part in scientific studies.

Les habitudes de jeu des Gaspésiens et des Madelinots sont similaires à celles observées chez l'ensemble des Québécois. La discussion soulève entre autres la question de la validité de l'évaluation de la présence d'un problème de jeu parmi les membres de l'entourage, et certaines perceptions à risque, dont celle qu'il est impossible de développer un problème aux loteries instantanées et au bingo.