Psychophysiological arousal in problem and non-problem video lottery gambler

This study measured three indices of physiological arousal (electromyographic activity, [EMG], skin conductance [SCL], and heart rate) during gambling and gambling related tasks in a sample of problem (n = 32) and non-problem (n = 32) video lottery gamblers. No difference was found between the groups at baseline or during a neutral task. A significant increase in all indices was observed for both groups from baseline to gambling task. A significant interaction was observed for heart rate, with problem gamblers experiencing a smaller increase than non-problem gamblers when gambling. Both groups experienced increases in EMG when thinking about personally relevant wins, and increases in SM and heart rate when thinking about losing.;Problem gamblers reported subjective feelings of excitement which were not correlated with physiological measures and more feelings of dissociation when gambling (Jacobs, 1988) than the non-problem gamblers. Preference for stimulating situations was negatively correlated with baseline heart rate and EMG levels, but was not associated with problem gambling behaviour.;It appears that there were few differences between the groups in response to gambling and gambling related situations. Differences may lie in how gamblers perceive the arousal they experience.