ANZCTR - Registration

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Trial registered on ANZCTR

Registration number

ACTRN12622000969763

Ethics application status

Approved

Date submitted

4/07/2022

Date registered

8/07/2022

Date last updated

8/07/2022

Date data sharing statement initially provided

8/07/2022

Type of registration

Prospectively registered

Titles & IDs

Public title

SBET: A trial of exposure therapy delivered by phone and internet for sports betting addiction (Sports Betting Exposure Therapy) - Part 1 pilot

Scientific title

SBET: The efficacy of exposure therapy delivered by phone and internet for sports betting addiction (Sports Betting Exposure Therapy) - Part 1 pilot

Secondary ID [1]

None

Universal Trial Number (UTN)

U1111-1279-8985

Trial acronym

SBET

Linked study record

Health condition

Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied:

gambling disorder

Condition category

Condition code

Mental Health

Addiction

Intervention/exposure

Study type

Interventional

Description of intervention(s) / exposure

The intervention is Exposure therapy. Exposure is a specific form of cognitive behaviour therapy, known as a behavioural approach whereby the person/participant conducts tasks where they deliberately expose themselves to triggers or cues which elicit a gambling urge or in the case of anxiety disorders where exposure was invented to anxiety. The therapeutic model is that by repeating these exposure exercises daily or 3-4 times weekly (Cue Exposure Therapy CET), until the urge reduces by at least half in each session (this is called habituation) the person unlearns or extinguishes the urge to gamble. Participants (sports betting gamblers) are provided 1 session weekly for up to 10 sessions (10-12 weeks). During each session the therapist guides the participant to select triggers that elicit a gambling urge e.g., looking at the gambling app on their phone or a gambling advertisement for 20-40 minutes until the urge has reduced by at least half and then repeat this task daily until the urge extinguishes (habituation). The therapist and gambler create a hierarchy of triggers and these are addressed in a gradient from easy to difficult until all or most triggers/urges have been eliminated. Progress is monitored by the participant filling out homework sheets describing their tasks and urge as well as questionnaires at each session on gambling urge and gambling time and money spent. We have published a paper on 6 cases of sports betting addiction treated by the SA Statewide Gambling Therapy Service (SGTS). CET was provided face to face by experienced SGTS staff using a standardised workbook adapted for sports betting. In CET as described in the case studies, all urges to gamble are extinguished and the person gains control over their gambling either through abstinence or occasional gambling.

The phase 1 pilot proposal aims to recruit 40 participants from all areas of SA and provide CET using mobile phone or internet in contrast to those who have received the intervention from SGTS face in a clinic setting as described in the published 6 case studies. This would provide the data to inform a phase 2 national randomised controlled trial with funding sought from other states and/or NHMRC Partnership grant.

Intervention code [1]

Treatment: Other

Comparator / control treatment

In phase 1 the pilot there will be no comparator

Control group

Uncontrolled

Outcomes

Primary outcome [1]

Primary outcome. Phase 1 :
The participant-rated primary outcome measure is the Victorian Gambling Screen (VGS) harm to self-subscale (Likert scoring 0, 1, 2, 3, 4; range 0-60); (a score of 21 and above identifies a person as a problem gambler) relating to the person's experiences in the person's experiences in the previous 4 weeks.

Timepoint [1]

Phase 1: 5 months from baseline i.e., 2 months post treatment (3 months)

Secondary outcome [1]

Phase 1: Gambling Behaviour: average number of days spent gambling will be measured over the previous 1 month. As for all questionnaires, this data is self-report collected either by phone by the research assistant or on-line study survey.

Timepoint [1]