GamblingLess: A pilot pragmatic randomised controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of an online self-help cognitive-behavioural program for gambling

The GamblingLess program is an online cognitive-behavioural self-help program for people with gambling problems, developed using the best available evidence in the gambling field. This online self-help program consists of four modules: Module 1 Getting ready to gamble less - This module aims to help participants understand their gambling, increase their motivation to change and to define their goals in order to help increase their readiness to change. Module 2 Taking action to gamble less - This module aims to teach participants new skills to help achieve their goals. The activities in this module are designed to reduce and stabilise their gambling. Module 3 Thinking differently to gamble less - This module aims to teach participants how gambling works and some of the tricks that are used to keep people gambling. This module will help participants understand which gambling-related thinking traps they are using and how to adjust their beliefs so they do not keep gambling because of them. Module 4 Gambling less for good - This module aims to help increase participants awareness of the chain of events and behaviours leading up to a relapse, to assist with maintaining their goals in the future. This module will teach participants how to adapt their existing skills and learn new skills to deal with high risk situations and gambling urges. Each module includes a range of interactive activities, such as video clips, audio files and questions. Each module takes approximately 1 to 2 hours to complete and it does not all have to be done in one sitting. The program will be open for 14 weeks, from the completion of the pre-intervention questionnaire. It is recommended that the modules are completed in sequential order with one module completed per fortnight. Participants can complete as many activities and modules as they choose. The usability of the program will be assessed by determining which activities were completed. The guided self-help intervention group will receive access to the GamblingLess program along with guidance from a trained professional. The guidance will consist of weekly email conversation support. The email support will be motivational and facilitative in nature, with the aim of keeping participants on track throughout the program. The guidance will be provided over an eight week period, commencing from the completion of the pre-intervention questionnaire. Participants allocated to this group will be able to email their Guide as often as they like throughout the eight week period. A randomly selected subset of emails will be examined for treatment fidelity purposes at the end of the study.