Consumer attitudes towards Internet gambling: Perceptions of responsible gambling policies,consumer protection,and regulation of online gambling sites

There is an insufficient understanding of consumer attitudes towards Internet gambling, which contributes to difficulties in developing policies to encourage the use of regulated online gambling sites. This research aimed to generate knowledge about consumer attitudes towards online gambling, specifically concerning the issues of player protection, regulation, and responsible gambling. An online survey was completed by 10,838 online casino and poker players from 96 countries. Responsible gambling features were generally viewed positively, particularly by casino game players, those who chased losses, and younger adults. Over one-third of participants reported having experienced a dispute with an online gambling operator. Respondents reported high levels of mistrust and concerns regarding online gambling and confusion regarding the appropriate regulation of Internet gambling. Consumer attitudes play a significant role in driving behavior and must be considered if regulators and operators are to effectively encourage online gamblers to use regulated gambling sites that include consumer protection and harm minimization measures. The results suggest that responsible gambling features, such as the ability to set spending limits, should be implemented on Internet gambling sites to increase consumer trust and favorable attitudes towards online gambling operators, and reduce disputes associated with excessive gambling.     

An investigation of social casino gaming among land-based and Internet gamblers: A comparison of socio-demographic characteristics,gambling and co-morbidities

Social casino games are free-play online games that feature gambling themes, but do not payout winnings in monetary form. These games are distinct from Internet gambling; however, the cross-over between these consumer markets is not well understood. This study compared the use of social casino games among a population of 2010 Australian adult Internet and land-based gamblers who completed a nationally representative telephone survey. The most popular social casino games were poker, gaming machines and casino table games and this popularity differed by gender. Social casino game players were more likely to be younger than non-social casino game players and had more similarities with Internet than land-based gamblers. Internet gamblers were more likely to also play social casino games than land-based gamblers, and use of these games was related to high engagement with gambling. Social casino gamers were more likely to smoke and use illicit drugs, and to have higher levels of psychological distress and gambling problems compared to non-social casino game players. This study is highly significant as it is one of the first comprehensive studies to examine the relationship between social casino game play and gambling in a representative adult population. Consumer protection measures should be strengthened where social casino games are offered in close proximity to gambling and when social casino players are encouraged to migrate to gambling opportunities.     

Computer poker: A review

The game of poker has been identified as a beneficial domain for current AI research because of the properties it possesses such as the need to deal with hidden information and stochasticity. The identification of poker as a useful research domain has inevitably resulted in increased attention from academic researchers who have pursued many separate avenues of research in the area of computer poker. The poker domain has often featured in previous review papers that focus on games in general, however a comprehensive review paper with a specific focus on computer poker has so far been lacking in the literature. In this paper, we present a review of recent algorithms and approaches in the area of computer poker, along with a survey of the autonomous poker agents that have resulted from this research. We begin with the first serious attempts to create strong computerised poker players by constructing knowledge-based and simulation-based systems. This is followed by the use of computational game theory to construct robust poker agents and the advances that have been made in this area. Approaches to constructing exploitive agents are reviewed and the challenging problems of creating accurate and dynamic opponent models are addressed. Finally, we conclude with a selection of alternative approaches that have received attention in previously published material and the interesting problems that they pose.     

Effective short-term opponent exploitation in simplified poker

Uncertainty in poker stems from two key sources, the shuffled deck and an adversary whose strategy is unknown. One approach to playing poker is to find a pessimistic game-theoretic solution (i.e., a Nash equilibrium), but human players have idiosyncratic weaknesses that can be exploited if some model or counter-strategy can be learned by observing their play. However, games against humans last for at most a few hundred hands, so learning must be very fast to be useful. We explore two approaches to opponent modelling in the context of Kuhn poker, a small game for which game-theoretic solutions are known. Parameter estimation and expert algorithms are both studied. Experiments demonstrate that, even in this small game, convergence to maximally exploitive solutions in a small number of hands is impractical, but that good (e.g., better than Nash) performance can be achieved in as few as 50 hands. Finally, we show that amongst a set of strategies with equal game-theoretic value, in particular the set of Nash equilibrium strategies, some are preferable because they speed learning of the opponent’s strategy by exploring it more effectively. Electronic Supplementary Material  The online version of this article () contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

网络赌博犯罪探究

伴随着Internet的普及和网络应用的蓬勃发展,网络赌博犯罪案件呈现出有组织性、国际性、隐蔽性等特征,这些特征致使公安机关在侦查网络赌博犯罪时面临诸多困境,如犯罪行为难以发现、取证困难等。本文阐述了网络赌博案件的特点、类型、侦查难点,并提出了网络赌博犯罪案件的侦查对策。     

A digital revolution: Comparison of demographic profiles,attitudes and gambling behavior of Internet and non-Internet gamblers

Internet gambling is one of the fastest growing sectors of e-commerce and rapidly growing as a mode of gambling. Although Internet gambling is characterized by high levels of customer choice, little is known about Internet gamblers or their engagement with Internet and non-Internet forms of gambling. Regulators are struggling to respond to Internet gambling given that little is known about the impact of this mode of gambling on the existing gambling market, who is gambling online and how. This paper presents one of the largest studies of Internet gambling; an online survey completed by 6682 Australian gamblers. Results show that Internet gamblers are a heterogeneous group, although there is a tendency for Internet gamblers to be male, have high incomes and be well educated. Internet gamblers have more positive attitudes towards gambling and are more highly involved gamblers, engaging in many different gambling activities in both online and offline forms. However, a proportion of Internet gamblers prefer the privacy and anonymity of Internet gambling and do not like land-based venues, suggesting that Internet gambling is creating a new market of gambling customers. Understanding the impact of this new mode of gamblers on existing gamblers and new players is important to contribute to the appropriate regulation of this activity.     

On using planning poker for estimating user stories

While most studies in psychology and forecasting stress the possible hazards of group processes when predicting effort and schedule, agile software development methods recommend the use of a group estimation technique called planning poker for estimating the size of user stories and developing release and iteration plans. It is assumed that the group discussion through planning poker helps in identifying activities that individual estimators could overlook, thus providing more accurate estimates and reducing the over-optimism that is typical for expert judgment-based methods. In spite of the widespread use of agile methods, there is little empirical evidence regarding the accuracy of planning poker estimates. In order to fill this gap a study was conducted requiring 13 student teams to develop a Web-based student records information system. All teams were given the same set of user stories which had to be implemented in three Sprints. Each team estimated the stories using planning poker and the estimates provided by each team member during the first round were averaged to obtain the statistical combination for further comparison. In the same way the stories were estimated by a group of experts. The study revealed that students’ estimates were over-optimistic and that planning poker additionally increased the over-optimism. On the other hand, the experts’ estimates obtained through planning poker were much closer to actual effort spent and tended to be more accurate than the statistical combination of their individual estimates. The results indicate that the optimism bias caused by group discussion diminishes or even disappears as the expertise of the people involved in the group estimation process increases.     

Robust poker image recognition scheme in playing card machine using Hotelling transform,DCT and run-length techniques

Poker is an interesting field for artificial intelligence research. It is a game of imperfect information and chance associated outcomes, where players deal with probability, risk assessment, and possible deception – just like real life decision-making. In our proposal, three strategies are used to organize a robust poker recognition scheme: (1) using Hotelling transform to place the object image in the correct position in poker pick-up stage; (2) a weighted compacted energy (WCE) of the image is used as the first feature in using DWT and DCT; and (3) calculating four orientation connectivity run-length values (FOCRLV) to distinguish different poker card images. There are two contributions in this article – one is the use of FOCRLV as a special feature to improve image recognition and the other is use of the compact energy band of an image as another feature to effectively identify the images. In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme, simulations under various conditions were conducted. The experimental results show that our proposed scheme can exactly identify ranks and suits of the poker images 100% of the time, even when 40% noise is added, or when intensity level is increased or decreased 40%.     

Responsible gambling strategies for Internet gambling: The theoretical and empirical base of using pop-up messages to encourage self-awareness

Internet gambling is a rapidly growing phenomenon, increasing in types of games and gambling opportunities, number of sites, owners and jurisdictions. In response participation and revenue generated by Internet gambling is also rising, along with the incidence of Internet gambling problems. In the unregulated environment it is difficult for players to be assured appropriate safeguards to protect them from harm, however, responsible gambling strategies are essential to reduce to risks of online gambling. Currently there is wide variation in the extent to which responsible gambling strategies are implemented, and little empirical support for their efficacy. Based on theoretical conceptualisation and empirical evidence taken from gambling and Internet research, this paper proposes the use of pop-up messages encouraging self-awareness to effectively increase responsible gambling and reduce the incidence of problem gambling. The paper describes the rationale for this strategy and key principles for the most effective implementation of this strategy. The conclusions drawn have significant implications for key stakeholders including industry, policy decision makers, regulators, academics and community members.     

一种无可信第三方的智力扑克协议

智力扑克是一种特定场景的安全多方计算,近些年来,学术界对智力扑克协议的研究基本都是基于可信第三方的.利用语义安全的加密体制,结合同时生效签名算法,巧妙地设计了一种不安全信道下无可信第三方的智力扑克协议.该协议能很好地确保游戏双方的公平性、能有效抵抗重放攻击,同时还具有不可否认性、不可伪造性和游戏过程可追踪性等优点.     

Using planning poker for combining expert estimates in software projects

When producing estimates in software projects, expert opinions are frequently combined. However, it is poorly understood whether, when, and how to combine expert estimates. In order to study the effects of a combination technique called planning poker, the technique was introduced in a software project for half of the tasks. The tasks estimated with planning poker provided: (1) group consensus estimates that were less optimistic than the statistical combination (mean) of individual estimates for the same tasks, and (2) group consensus estimates that were more accurate than the statistical combination of individual estimates for the same tasks. For tasks in the same project, individual experts who estimated a set of control tasks achieved estimation accuracy similar to that achieved by estimators who estimated tasks using planning poker. Moreover, for both planning poker and the control group, measures of the median estimation bias indicated that both groups had unbiased estimates, because the typical estimated task was perfectly on target. A code analysis revealed that for tasks estimated with planning poker, more effort was expended due to the complexity of the changes to be made, possibly caused by the information provided in group discussions.     

Is gambling involvement a confounding variable for the relationship between Internet gambling and gambling problem severity?

Internet gamblers have more problems gambling than land-based gamblers, but recent studies showed that Internet gamblers are involved in a higher number of gambling activities, which may confound the relationship between Internet gambling and gambling problems. The present study aimed to test whether the relationship between Internet gambling and gambling problems persisted when including variables related to gambling involvement as predictors, namely time spent gambling and diversity of gambling formats. Data from a large sample of French adolescents (n = 9910) were used. Associations between disordered gambling/money spent gambling with Internet gambling were performed using generalized linear models, not controlling and controlling for diversity of gambling formats and time spent gambling. The results showed that Internet gamblers had significantly more problems than land-based gamblers. The relationship decreased when diversity of gambling formats and time spent gambling were controlled separately, and became non-significant when they were both included in the model. To conclude, time spent gambling and diversity of gambling formats rather than Internet gambling should be considered a detrimental gambling behavior. They seemed to capture different aspects of gambling patterns. This study was a step forward in changing the conceptual model of problem gambling, with gambling involvement as a main variable.     

一种恶意模型下安全的双方智力扑克协议

安全多方计算是密码学中的一个重要研究领域,在保障信息安全中发挥着极其重要的作用。智力扑克游戏是指利用网络玩扑克牌,它可以视为一种特殊的安全多方计算。根据智力扑克游戏的有关要求,结合超椭圆曲线密码体制的优点,提出了一种恶意模型下安全的智力扑克协议,证明了协议的正确性,分析了在恶意模型下协议的安全性,给出了协议的计算复杂度和通信复杂度。     

Evolving Nash-optimal poker strategies using evolutionary computation

This paper focuses on the development of a competitive computer player for the one versus one Texas Hold’em poker using evolutionary algorithms (EA). A Texas Hold’em game engine is first constructed where an efficient odds calculator is programmed to allow for the abstraction of a player’s cards, which yield important but complex information. Effort is directed to realize an optimal player that will play close to the Nash equilibrium (NE) by proposing a new fitness criterion. Preliminary studies on a simplified version of poker highlighted the intransitivity nature of poker. The evolved player displays strategies that are logical but reveals insights that are hard to comprehend e.g., bluffing. The player is then benchmarked against Poki and PSOpti, which is the best heads-up Texas Hold’em artificial intelligence to date and plays closest to the optimal Nash equilibrium. Despite the much constrained chromosomal strategy representation, simulated results verified that evolutionary algorithms are effective in creating strategies that are comparable to Poki and PSOpti in the absence of expert knowledge.     

Dynamic bandwidth allocation for Internet telephony

Internet telephony is promising for long-distance calls because of its low service charge and value-added functions. To provide Internet telephony to the general public, a service provider can operate a telephone gateway in each servicing city to bridge the local telephone network and the Internet, so that users can use telephones or fax machines to access this gateway for services. In this paper, we propose a dynamic bandwidth allocation scheme for two purposes: (1) each telephone gateway can fully utilize the available bandwidth to serve more telephone and fax sessions and (2) it can respond to the changing environments. We exploit three properties for dynamic bandwidth allocation. First, in a telephone session, each user usually alternates between speaking and listening. When a user is not speaking, she does not send any voice stream and hence the bandwidth can be dynamically released from this session for the other sessions. Second, voice traffic is elastic because it can be further compressed at the cost of a lower quality. Third, fax traffic is flexible because it can be temporarily delayed. We exploit these three properties to allocate bandwidth to telephone and fax sessions dynamically. When a telephone gateway adopts dynamic bandwidth allocation, it can serve more telephone and fax sessions while providing acceptably good quality-of-service (QoS), and it can give more stable QoS when the available bandwidth varies.     

Communication efficient shuffle for mental poker protocols

Mental poker protocols are considered to be computationally and communicationally consuming. A secure and fast mental poker protocol was proposed by Wang and Wei (2009) [26]. The cost of communication (total length of message) can be considered as feasible, but is still relatively expensive for networks with lower bandwidths. A shuffle requires 64 MB of data transmission for a typical setting (9 players, 52 cards, 1024 bit keys, and security parameter L = 100). The most communicationally consuming part of Wang and Wei’s protocol is the shuffle verification protocol SV.In this paper, we propose a new method to verify the integrity of the shuffle, namely, NewSV which can be used as a drop-in replacement for SV. NewSV is slower than SV. The benefit of using NewSV is that the communication cost can be greatly reduced. Using the same settings, if NewSV is used instead of SV, then 70% of the communication cost can be saved. A shuffle requires only 20 MB of data transmission for L = 100. The computational overhead is 7-2% for security parameter L = 30-100.This technique can be applied to a similar mental poker protocol proposed by Castella-Roca (2004) [7]. The Castella-Roca’s shuffle requires 154 MB of data transmission for L = 100. By using NewSV, 87% of the communication cost can be reduced so that only 20 MB of data transmission is required. The computational overhead is also 7-2% for L = 30-100.     

Is all Internet gambling equally problematic? Considering the relationship between mode of access and gambling problems

Concerns exist that Internet gambling may increase rates of gambling harms, yet research to date has found inconsistent results. Internet gamblers are a heterogeneous group and considering this population as a whole may miss important differences between gamblers. The differential relationship of using mobile and other devices for gambling online has not been considered as compared to the use of computers. The true relationship of Internet gambling on related problems and differences between preferred modes for accessing online gambling may be obscured by confounding personal and behavioural factors. This paper thus uses the innovative approach of propensity score matching to estimate the consequence of gambling offline, or online through a computer, as compared to mobile or other supplementary devices by accounting for confounding effects of difference among groups of Australian gamblers (N = 4482). Gamblers who prefer to gamble online using computers had lower rates of gambling problems as compared to those using mobile and supplementary devices. Individual life cycle was useful to differentiate between groups, indicating age, marital, and employment status should be considered together to predict how people gamble online. This is the first empirical study to suggest that the mode of accessing Internet gambling may be related to subsequent harms.     

Problematic Internet use or Internet addiction?

The aim of this paper is to review the gradually evolving body of the literature on Internet addiction. Two schools of thought have emerged: those authors who believe that Internet addiction merits classification as a new or emerging psychiatric disorder in its own right, and those who define certain individuals as having problematic Internet use in relation to specific online activities, such as gambling, email or pornography. Despite a total lack of methodologically sound research, the evidence appears to support the second perspective. It appears that individuals who are premorbidly vulnerable, especially with a history of impulse control and addictive disorders, are especially at risk of using the Internet in a problematic way. Aside from the personal and social implications of this finding, this behavior has important implications for the workplace and may be resulting in substantial loss of productivity in companies who are not implementing Internet governance policies.     

Life satisfaction and family functions as-predictors of problematic Internet use in university students

One goal of this research was to analyze problematic Internet use in university students according to such variables as gender, grade point average, satisfaction with one’s department, mother’s/father’s education level, smoking, alcohol consumption, gambling behavior, relationship between parents, length of Internet use, amount of time spent on the Internet daily, and using the Internet for academic purposes. Another goal was to analyze family functioning and life satisfaction as predictors of problematic Internet use in university students. The study sample comprised 663 university students from Dokuz Eylül University, İzmir. The Problematic Internet Use Scale, Family Evaluation Scale, Life Satisfaction Scale, and a questionnaire requesting demographic information were administered. The results revealed that the family functioning dimensions of problem solving, roles, and behavioral control, as well as gender, age, gambling behavior, perception of the relationship between one’s parents, number of years of Internet use, amount of time spent on the Internet daily, and using the Internet for academic purposes explained 48% of the total variance in Internet use. There was also a significant relationship between university students’ life satisfaction and total Internet use, rate of Internet overuse, and the social benefits and negative consequences of Internet use.