Gambling and Delay Discounting in Japanese Students

Abstract

The present study examined the relationship between gambling behavior and delay discounting with Japanese residents. Japanese university students were selected into pathological gambler and non-gambling control groups using a Japanese version of the South Oaks Gambling Screen. In a discounting task, participants chose individually between a large delayed reward and a smaller immediate reward with varied delays. The discounting rate (k-value) and the area under the curve were significantly higher and smaller, respectively, for the gambler group than for the control group. These findings show that Japanese gamblers discount delayed rewards more steeply than non-gambling controls, as has been found in U.S. residents.