Investigating the impact of loss accumulation periods on the predictive relationship between loss chasing and potential gambling harms.

This study builds on a growing body of research seeking to define multidimensional loss chasing. Analyzing data from 36,325 online sports bettors, the focus was to identify which loss accumulation period (loss period; i.e., immediate losses vs. daily, weekly, monthly, and total cumulative losses) maximizes the predictive relationship between loss chasing and diverse potential harm outcomes. We found that the daily loss period yielded the best predictive efficacy for two harm outcomes (loss trajectory and voluntary self-exclusion [VSE]). Loss chasing was not associated with a third harm outcome (percent change in net loss) for any loss period. Overall, the findings suggest that the loss accumulation period for loss chasing matters for predicting harms, with daily losses presenting the most potential importance and relevance to potential gambling harm. These findings can be used to inform new predictive models for identifying risk for gambling harm from betting records.