Abstract

Arousal-based theories of gambling suggest that excitement gained from gambling reinforces gambling behavior, and predict that problem gamblers will show greater arousal during gambling than non-problem gamblers. However, recent theories of emotion conceptualize mood as comprising arousal and valence dimensions. Excitement, is defined as consisting of both arousal and positive valence, rather than mere arousal. We examined self-reported changes in arousal and affective valence in 27 problem and 40 non-problem gamblers playing Electronic Gaming Machines. Problem gamblers reported greater increases in arousal after gambling but also reported large increases in negative valence if they lost. The absence of positive valence suggests that it is unlikely that problem gamblers experienced excitement whilst gambling. This does not support a simple arousal-based model of problem gambling.