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.

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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

Description:

In this episode, Professor Sally Gainsbury speaks with Carly Grace Allen about how interaction design and user experience (UX) principles can improve responsible gambling tools. Drawing on large-scale field experiments conducted within Norsk Tipping, Carly discusses how message framing, risk communication, mandatory limit setting, and behavioural design influence real gambling behaviour. The conversation explores how evidence-based UX design can support informed decision-making and preventative gambling interventions at population scale.

Visit BetWell: Bet with more clarity, insight and intention

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Show notes and links

Connect with Carly Grace Allen via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlygraceallen/?locale=no

Learn more about Carly’s research:
Allen, C. G., Sveen, T., Volden, F. S., & Inal, Y. (2025). Framing the Risk: A Large-Scale Field Experiment on Risk Communication in Responsible Gambling. INTERACT 2025. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-032-05002-1_16

Explore upcoming conferences where Carly will be presenting her research:
- European Association for the Study of Gambling (EASG) Conference (https://www.easg.org/conferences)
- European Lotteries (EL/WLA) Responsible Gaming & Sustainability Seminar (https://www.european-lotteries.org/events)
- National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) Conference on Gambling and Addiction (https://www.americangaming.org/event/ncrg-conference-on-gambling-and-addiction/)

Books mentioned:
- Harry Brignull – Dark Patterns
- Stephen Wendel – Designing for Behavior Change