Mathematics is
strongly connected to gambling through the mathematical models
underlying any game of chance. Games of chance are developed
structurally and physically around abstract mathematical models, which
are their mere essence and represent the premises of their
functionality. Mathematics is reflected not only in games’
design/characteristics and their outcomes, but also in gamblers’
perception and knowledge of the mathematics-related facts of gambling –
which influence their gambling behavior. This is why prevention and
treatment of problem gambling – in whatever degree of severity – can
benefit essentially from the contribution of expert counseling on the
mathematical aspects of the games and gambling activity, which the
gambling counselor cannot provide with his/her psychological expertise
only.
This counseling
service is not about teaching the math of gambling, which you can learn
through our
online course, but to steer you toward the healthy track of
responsible gambling with the help of mathematical concepts. This
service applies findings of the latest interdisciplinary research on
problem gambling prevention and treatment. Whatever is your preferred
game, our counseling aims at stopping you from losing money and precious
time, and helping you to resolve your gambling addiction, through
strategies such as these:
- Correcting
math-related fallacies, misconceptions, and subjective interpretations
of the gambling concepts.
- Awareness about
probability/odds and all the numerical measurements related to gambling,
including what they are, how they are reflected in the real life, and
how trust in them should be understood.
- The ability to make
the right choices in mathematically-describable gaming situations.
We can discuss
anything gambling related, and we’ll try together to deal with the
situation in your favor. We can also discuss strategy and optimal play;
however, keep in mind that this is not ”how-to-win” counseling, simply
because such thing does not exist in gambling mathematics. Also bear in
mind that this counseling is not sufficient for some forms of
pathological gambling. That addiction can be dealt with only in
conjunction with medical-psychological counseling and/or therapy.
Problem-gambling
mathematics counseling is provided (online only) by
Dr. Catalin Barboianu, gaming mathematician and
problem-gambling expert, and consists of e-mail correspondence and
dialogue. The consultation fee is $35 per hour spent working by the
counselor.
Other expert
counselors (currently in training) will be listed on our website at a
further date.
The correction of gambling cognitive distortions can be effective only with a personalized scheme of counseling, according to individual’s cognitive profile.
This profile is assigned through a questionnaire that identifies the individual’s conceptual framework with respect to gambling mathematics and mathematically-related gambling cognitive distortions.
You may fill in this questionnaire and request the interpretation of your answers even if you do not choose to receive gambling-mathematics counseling. The interpretation will provide information about your possible mathematically-related gambling misconceptions, erroneous beliefs and fallacies, your predisposition and risk to develop a harmful gambling behavior due to those factors, and what can be done to correct them. Click
here for downloading the questionnaire.
You may request the interpretation of your answers to this questionnaire
by sending it attached to
orders[at]philscience.org with the subject line
'questionnaire interpretation'.
To request a
counseling session, please download the form below, fill in
your data, and send it attached to
orders[at]philscience.org, with the subject ‘problem gambling
math counseling’. You should start by telling the counselor how you feel
and what your main concerns are about your gambling activity.
All sessions are
confidential, and we won’t distribute or post them anywhere, not even
partially. We respect your privacy, so if you prefer to stay anonymous
during the counseling sessions, you can do that. Just fill in the
registration form using a fictional name or nickname. All we need is
your real e-mail address to communicate with you.
Download
registration form
