| The primary purpose of this study was to explore the differential gambling patterns of underage adolescents in order to identify the specific characteristics and determinants that influence the appeal of the lottery and their lottery playing behaviour. This study was an exploratory investigation of the structural characteristics of lottery products that are particularly appealing to youth (e.g., monetary value, attribute of the ticket, type of game, prize structure, advertisements, colour of ticket, etc.).;This research consisted of three phases. Phase I consisted of the inclusion of 5 focus groups (47 children, age 12--19) designed to provide qualitative information on adolescent lottery playing behaviour; Phase II included the development and validation of an instrument to assess lottery playing and gambling behaviour; and Phase III included the participation of a large community sample of youth in Ontario who completed the questionnaire assessing their gambling behaviour in general, factors influencing lottery playing behaviour (e.g., structural characteristics of lottery tickets), and severity of gambling problems. (Abstract shortened by UMI.). |
