In the final episode of Season 6 of the Technology Risk and Gambling Podcast, Professor Sally Gainsbury speaks with early-career researchers Avelyn Wenyu Gao from the University of Sydney and Jack McGarrigle from Swansea University about how dark patterns and dark nudges can shape consumer behaviour in online gambling.

Visit BetWell: Bet with more clarity, insight and intention

https://betwell.org.au/

Show notes and related links:

Register for the National Australian Gambling Studies Conference (NAGS):
https://www.nags.org.au/

Read Jack McGarrigle’s current research work:

• McGarrigle J, Smith J, Griffiths J, Torrance J, Quigley M, Dymond S. Dark patterns in online gambling: A scoping review and classification of deceptive design practices. J Behav Addict. 2026 Jan 6;15(1):99-114. doi: 10.1556/2006.2025.00096.

• McGarrigle, Jack and Torrance, Jamie and Quigley, Martyn and Dymond, Professor Simon, Consent Banners, Dark Patterns, and GDPR Infringements in Online Gambling: Evidence from a Systematic Audit and Online Experiment. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=6477560 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.6477560

  
  

Interested in learning more about dark nudges? Revisit Episode 4 with Chandni Gupta, where we explore dark nudges and their policy implications: https://youtu.be/DRSZ1AXorOc?si=U_c0Os39gAjD7h7k

In this episode, Professor Sally Gainsbury speaks with Dr Timothy Fong, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA, Co-Director of the UCLA Gambling Studies Program (UGSP), and lead investigator on the Financial Stability and Responsible Gambling Initiative. Together, they explore why financial harm from gambling is often recognised only after it has become severe, despite financial changes frequently emerging much earlier. They discuss the close relationship between financial and mental health, how digital payments and easy access to credit have changed the gambling environment, and why simply asking someone how much debt they have may fail to capture the true financial impact of their gambling.

Visit BetWell: Bet with more clarity, insight and intention

https://betwell.org.au/

Show notes and related links:

Check out the UCLA Gambling Program: https://uclagamblingprogram.org/

Financial Stability and Responsible Gambling Initiative (FSRG): https://fsrginitiative.org/

Kindbridge Research Institute: https://kindbridgeinstitute.org/

Gamfin Financial Counseling for Gambling Addiction: https://www.gamfin.org/

Etcera Foundation: https://ecstra.org.au/

Want to learn more about financial literacy? – Listen to Episode 1 with Prof. Annamaria Lusardi and Episode 2 with Dr. Tracey West

What makes a digital tool worthy of trust? Professor Sally Gainsbury speaks with Maureen Abbott, Director of Innovation at the Mental Health Commission of Canada, about the governance of digital mental health tools and what other digital environments can learn from it. They explore app assessment frameworks, AI and the tension between innovation and precaution, and the role of equity and inclusion in designing safe and accessible digital tools. The conversation also considers how these principles could apply beyond mental health, including gambling, financial platforms and AI-powered financial literacy tools. The episode asks whether effective digital interventions can succeed without first earning the trust of the people they are designed to support.

Visit BetWell: Bet with more clarity, insight and intention

https://betwell.org.au/

Show notes:

Mental Health Commission of Canada – App Assessment Framework:

https://mentalhealthcommission.ca/app-assessment/

E-Mental Health Strategy for Canada:

https://mentalhealthcommission.ca/resource/ementalhealthstrategy/

National Guidance for AI in Mental Health and Substance Use Health Care:

https://mentalhealthcommission.ca/ai-in-mental-health/

WHO – Ethics and Governance of Artificial Intelligence for Health:

https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240029200

eMHPrac – Digital Mental Health Resource Directory:

https://www.emhprac.org.au/directory/

Mental Health Commission of Canada:

https://mentalhealthcommission.ca/

Stephen M. R. Covey – The Speed of Trust