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Smartphone Apps for Problem Gambling: a Review of Content and Quality

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Abstract

Purpose of Review

Problem gambling can have profound consequences for affected individuals, yet only a small proportion of people with problem gambling seek treatment. Mobile phone applications (apps) may provide an effective and scalable therapeutic option. The purpose of this study was to evaluate publicly available mobile apps aimed at improving problematic gambling behavior.

Recent Findings

To date, there are no published studies that have evaluated the quality of publicly available smartphone apps for problem gambling in the USA. There is thus a significant gap in knowledge of existing apps for addressing problem gambling.

Summary

This study included a review of 14 problem-gambling-specific apps. Apps that incorporated cognitive-behavioral therapy concepts and in-app communities were associated with better aesthetics and information quality scores. Additionally, in-app communities were associated with better engagement scores. Our results highlight the importance of evidence-based and engaging features in apps designed to help people with problem gambling.

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Data Availability

Data are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable requests.

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Funding

This work was supported in part through a gift from the Mohegan Sun Casino to Yale University. Mohegan Sun Casino had no involvement in any component of this manuscript, including the conception, design, or analysis of this work. LYM and JML were supported by T32-funded postdoctoral training fellowships from the National Institutes of Health (NIDA grants T32DA019426 and T32DA007238, respectively). The views presented in this manuscript are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the funding agencies.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Prevention and Community Research, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA

    Li Yan McCurdy

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA

    Li Yan McCurdy, Jennifer M. Loya, Brian D. Kiluk & Marc N. Potenza

  3. Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA

    Victoria R. Hart-Derrick & Marc N. Potenza

  4. Department of Computer Science, Stanford University School of Engineering, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA

    Griffin C. Young

  5. Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA

    Marc N. Potenza

  6. The Connecticut Council On Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, CT, 06109, USA

    Marc N. Potenza

  7. The Connecticut Mental Health Center, 1 Church Street, Room 726, New Haven, CT, 06519, USA

    Marc N. Potenza

Authors
  1. Li Yan McCurdy
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Data collection and analysis were performed by LYM, JML, VHD, and GCY. All authors contributed to the manuscript and have approved the final version of the submitted manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marc N. Potenza.

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Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no competing interests with respect to the content of this manuscript. BDK has received personal fees from CBT4CBT, LLC outside the submitted work; and has received research support from the Mohegan Sun Casino. MNP has consulted for Opiant Therapeutics, Game Day Data, Baria-Tek, the Addiction Policy Forum, AXA and Idorsia Pharmaceuticals; been involved in a patent application with Yale University and Novartis; received research support from the Mohegan Sun Casino and the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling; consulted for legal and gambling entities on issues related to impulse-control disorders and addictions; has edited journals and journal sections; has given academic lectures in grand rounds, CME events and other clinical or scientific venues; and has generated books or book chapters for publishers of mental health texts. The other authors report no disclosures.

Human and Animal Rights

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors. Since this work involved collection and analysis of data regarding phone apps and not individual persons, this work does not meet the criteria for Human Subjects Research, so ethics approval was not necessary.

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LYM and JML contributed equally to this work and share first authorship. VHD and GCY contributed equally to this work and share second authorship.

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McCurdy, L.Y., Loya, J.M., Hart-Derrick, V.R. et al. Smartphone Apps for Problem Gambling: a Review of Content and Quality. Curr Addict Rep 10, 178–186 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40429-023-00479-2

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