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Abstract
Most people claim they gamble for recreational purposes; however, rates of problem and pathological gambling continue to rise. Attempts to understand why individuals gamble have focused on gambling-related excitement and arousal. To date, no studies have systematically investigated mode-specific reactivity to gambling cues within a real gambling environment. The present investigation utilized cue exposure to investigate HR reactivity, subjective excitement, and urge to gamble during to two gambling activities (betting on a horse race and playing a scratch-off lottery ticket) in a sample of 71 recreational gamblers (32 horse race bettors and 39 scratch-off lottery players). The study also investigated the influence of gambling on cortisol stress responses. Findings support the argument for mode-specific HR and subjective reactivity in recreational gamblers. Results also suggest a gender effect in cortisol stress responses to gambling on a horse race. The clinical implications of these findings are discussed.
