Class Description
The line between investing, gaming, and gambling is becoming increasingly blurred in our digital world. This seminar pulls back the curtain on nontraditional forms of high-risk financial speculation that often fly under the radar, such as volatile cryptocurrency trading, high-risk stock options, and the growing "gamblification" of video games through mechanics like loot boxes.
We'll explore how these modern activities leverage cutting-edge technology and sophisticated psychological hooks to create compelling, and often problematic, experiences that don't carry the same stigma as traditional casino gambling. This session is designed to demystify these emerging trends and provide a clear framework for understanding them as a potential public health concern.
Building on this foundation, the training will delve into a direct comparison between these new forms of speculative risk and traditional gambling. We will analyze the critical differences in accessibility, social perception, and the illusion of skill that make modern platforms uniquely potent. A key focus of the seminar will be identifying the types of individuals who are especially susceptible to these specific temptations, examining both the psychological and demographic risk factors involved. Attendees will leave equipped with the crucial knowledge to recognize these complex behaviors, understand their underlying mechanisms, and better identify those who may be at risk.
Learning Objectives
- Identify and describe at least three distinct forms of nontraditional gambling, including high-risk stock/options trading, cryptocurrency speculation, and the gamblification of video games (e.g., loot boxes)
- Articulate two key differences between traditional gambling and modern speculative activities, focusing on the areas of social perception, accessibility, and the illusion of skill
- Recognize three specific psychological or demographic risk factors that increase an individual’s susceptibility to developing problematic behaviors related to these nontraditional forms of gambling
Educational Goals
- Define gambling behavior
- Describe how speculative financial trading relates to gambling behavior
- Define cryptocurrency trading and its risks
- Be familiar with the behaviors associated with cryptocurrency trading
- Describe how video games are now often gamblified
Outline
- Defining Gambling Behavior (10 min.)
- Stock Trading and Risky Speculative Behavior (10 min.)
- Cryptocurrency trading (20 min.)
- Gamblification of video games (15 min.)
- Concluding summaries (5 min.)