Effects of Proactive Call to Customers of Norsk Rikstoto (Horse Gambling Operator in Norway): A Randomized Controlled Study

NCT ID: NCT07028450

Last Updated: 2025-06-19

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 192 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2025-10-01
• Study Completion Date: 2026-12-31

Brief Summary

Customers/gamblers gambling at Norsk Rikstoto (gambling monopolist in Norway providing horse gambling products with potential gambling problems will be randomly allocated to receive a proactive phone call (encouraging them to change their gambling behavior - e.g., be lowering the loss limit) or to a control condition. Outcomes will be short and long terms registered gambling behavior.

Detailed Description

Norsk Rikstoto (gambling monopolist in Norway providing horse gambling products) enforces registered play, hence all gambling transactions and outcomes of stakes of all customers are registered and stored for 5 years. Based on daily algorithms high risk gamblers are identified. Gamblers 18-35 years who for at least 5 of the last 30 days have been identified as high risk gamblers will according to a 1.5:1 ratio be allocated to a proactive call condition or to a control condition.

The call will be based on principles from motivating interviewing and will contain encouragements to alter gambling behavior (e.g., lowering loss limits). Primary outcome comprises theoretical loss (total bet x house advantage ((100% - payback%) / 100)). Secondary outcomes comprises total stakes made by the customer and loss percentage (proportion of stake that is lost). Baseline data comprises gambling behavior the 30 days before the call. Short-term effects comprise cumulative registered gambling behavior the first 90 days after the call whereas long-term effects consist of cumulative registered gambling behavior day 91-180 after the call. A random block design will be used where 15 eligible customers each week will be allocated either to the proactive call condition (n=9) or to the control condition (n=6).

Conditions

Gambling Problem

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: SINGLE

Study Groups

One proactive call

The call is based on principles of motivating interviewing and will in addition encourage the recipient to change his/hers gambling behavior (e.g., lower pre-set loss limits).

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Proactive call

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

The proactive call will be based on the principles of motivational interviewing. The content of the call comprises: 1) Asking the gambler/recipient to reflect on their gambling behavior, 2) providing to the gambler/recipient an overview of their gambling account and financial history, 3) offering to the gambler/recipient information about responsible gambling tools, such as setting lower limits, locking limits, taking a break, or self-exclusion, and 4) providing to the gambler/recipient information about relevant support services and the Gamban tool in cases where a need is expressed.

Control

No contact/not reaching out

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

Proactive call

The proactive call will be based on the principles of motivational interviewing. The content of the call comprises: 1) Asking the gambler/recipient to reflect on their gambling behavior, 2) providing to the gambler/recipient an overview of their gambling account and financial history, 3) offering to the gambler/recipient information about responsible gambling tools, such as setting lower limits, locking limits, taking a break, or self-exclusion, and 4) providing to the gambler/recipient information about relevant support services and the Gamban tool in cases where a need is expressed.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Being identified (based on an algorithm used by Norsk Rikstoto/the gambling provider) as a high risk gambler at least 5 of the last 30 days

Exclusion Criteria

• None

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 35 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Norsk Rikstoto

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role: collaborator

University of Bergen

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Locations

University of Bergen, Department of Psychosocial Science

Bergen, Vestland, Norway

Countries

Norway

Central Contacts

Ståle Pallesen, PhD

Role: CONTACT

staale.pallesen@uib.no

+4792632099

Andre Syvertsen, PhD

Role: CONTACT

andre.syvertsen@uib.no

+4795137908

Facility Contacts

Ståle Pallesen, PhD

Role: primary

staale.pallesen@uib.no

+4792632099

Andre Syvertsen, PhD

Role: backup

andre.syvertsen@uib.no

Other Identifiers

Spillforsk25/1

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id