Gambling DisorderNCT04158037
Don't Go There: A Geospatial mHealth App for Gambling Disorder
A study testing mHealth App in people with Gambling Disorder, run by St. Louis University at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The goal of this project is to develop and to test the efficacy of a novel mHealth app for gambling disorder. The app capitalizes on smartphones' global positioning software (GPS) that recognizes a user's location to within 15 feet. Users will receive an alert of this go near a gambling venue. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Gambling Disorder
- What is being tested?
- mHealth App
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 0 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 31 Jul 2024to 1 Jun 2025
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Currently meets DSM-5 criteria for gambling disorder
- At least 4 non-online gambling episodes in past 60 days
- Wagering at least $100 total over past 60 days
- Willingness to accept random assignment
- English speaking
- Android phone user
Who cannot join
- Age <18 years old
- Severely disruptive behavior
- Serious uncontrolled psychiatric behavior that requires acute psychiatric care
- Decline permission to collect zero permission data from smartphone.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
The goal of this project is to develop and to test the efficacy of a novel mHealth app for gambling disorder. The app capitalizes on smartphones' global positioning software (GPS) that recognizes a user's location to within 15 feet. Users will receive an alert of this go near a gambling venue. The project will conduct a 12-week pilot randomized clinical trial to test the short-term efficacy of the app with gambling disorder individuals.
- Conditions
- Gambling Disorder
- Being tested
- mHealth App
- Keywords
- mHealth App
- Medical subject headings
- Gambling
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
mHealth AppBehavioural
The app uses smartphones' global positioning software (GPS) that recognizes a user's location to within 15 feet. The app will construct a customizable geofence (e.g., 3 miles) around a gambler's favored gambling venue (e.g., casino, gas station). If the individual crosses the fence boundary his or her phone will raise the alarm with a personalized motivational message.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| mHealth App | Experimental | Participants will receive the gambling disorder mHealth app. Receives: Behavioral: mHealth App |
| Wait List Control | No intervention | Participant will be placed on a wait list for 12 weeks, after which they will be offered the gambling disorder mHealth app. |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
App usage (feasibility)
Number of days the app is active on a user's smartphone. Days can range from 0 to 84.
Measured: From baseline to post-treatment (12 weeks)
Patient satisfaction with the gambling app
Investigator derived patient satisfaction self-report questionnaire. Five items, using a 7-point Likert scale from very dissatisfied (1) to very satisfied (7). Higher scores indicate a better outcome.
Measured: From baseline to post-treatment (12 weeks)
Secondary outcomes (3)
Gambling behavior via Timeline Followback (Weinstock, Whelan, & Meyers, 2004)
Self-report gambling frequency and intensity as assessed by the Gambling Timeline Followback - a retrospective self-report calendar. Gambling frequency can range from 0 to 84; gambling intensity is measured in $ and time (hours). Dollars wagered can range from $0 to unlimited $. Time is measured in hours and can range from 0 to >1,000 hours. Higher scores indicate a worse outcome.
Measured: From baseline to post-treatment (12 weeks)
Gambling-related harms (Browne et al., 2018)
Self-reported gambling harms as assessed by the 72-item Gambling-Related Harms Questionnaire (yes/no responses). Scores range from 0 to 72. Higher scores indicate a worse outcome.
Measured: From baseline to post-treatment (12 weeks)
Quality of Life Inventory (Frisch et al., 1994). A self-reported quality of life measure assessing 17 domains of life for importance and satisfaction.
Self-report quality of life questionnaire. Participants rate 17 domains on importance (range not at all important [0] to extremely important [2]). The 17 domains are then rated on how satisfied the individual is regards to his or her life (-3 [very dissatisfied] to 3 [very dissatisfied]). A total score is then generated by summing the product of importance multiplied by satisfaction. Scores range from 0 to 102. Higher scores indicate a better outcome.
Measured: From baseline to post-treatment (12 weeks)
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted8 Nov 2019
- Study start31 Jul 2024
- Primary completion31 May 2025
- Study completion1 Jun 2025
Why it stopped: Technical difficulties with the mHealth app development
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Gambling DisorderStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 0 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- St. Louis University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Center for Responsible Gaming
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Jeremiah Weinstock, St. Louis University
- Investigators
- Jeremiah Weinstock, PhD, Principal investigator, St. Louis University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04158037
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 30494
- Status last verified
- Aug 2025
- First submitted
- 5 Nov 2019
- Last updated
- 27 Aug 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 27 Aug 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Don't Go There: A Geospatial mHealth App for Gambling Disorder
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04158037
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 30494
- Conditions
- Gambling Disorder
- Keywords
- mHealth App
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- WithdrawnReason stopped: Technical difficulties with the mHealth app development
- Enrolment
- 0 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- St. Louis UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Center for Responsible Gaming
- Study start
- 31 Jul 2024 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 31 May 2025 (actual)
- Study completion
- 1 Jun 2025 (actual)
- First posted
- 8 Nov 2019 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The goal of this project is to develop and to test the efficacy of a novel mHealth app for gambling disorder. The app capitalizes on smartphones' global positioning software (GPS) that recognizes a user's location to within 15 feet. Users will receive an alert of this go near a gambling venue. The project will conduct a 12-week pilot randomized clinical trial to test the short-term efficacy of the app with gambling disorder individuals.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| mHealth App | Experimental | Behavioral: mHealth AppParticipants will receive the gambling disorder mHealth app. |
| Wait List Control | No intervention | –Participant will be placed on a wait list for 12 weeks, after which they will be offered the gambling disorder mHealth app. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (6 listed)
- Currently meets DSM-5 criteria for gambling disorder
- At least 4 non-online gambling episodes in past 60 days
- Wagering at least $100 total over past 60 days
- Willingness to accept random assignment
- English speaking
Key exclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Age <18 years old
- Severely disruptive behavior
- Serious uncontrolled psychiatric behavior that requires acute psychiatric care
- Decline permission to collect zero permission data from smartphone.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| mHealth AppThe app uses smartphones' global positioning software (GPS) that recognizes a user's location to within 15 feet. The app will construct a customizable geofence (e.g., 3 miles) around a gambler's favored gambling venue (e.g., casino, gas station). If the individual crosses the fence boundary his or her phone will raise the alarm with a personalized motivational message. | Behavioural | mHealth App |
Primary outcome
App usage (feasibility)
Time frame: From baseline to post-treatment (12 weeks)
Number of days the app is active on a user's smartphone. Days can range from 0 to 84.
Patient satisfaction with the gambling app
Time frame: From baseline to post-treatment (12 weeks)
Investigator derived patient satisfaction self-report questionnaire. Five items, using a 7-point Likert scale from very dissatisfied (1) to very satisfied (7). Higher scores indicate a better outcome.
3 secondary outcomes
Gambling behavior via Timeline Followback (Weinstock, Whelan, & Meyers, 2004)
Time frame: From baseline to post-treatment (12 weeks)
Gambling-related harms (Browne et al., 2018)
Time frame: From baseline to post-treatment (12 weeks)
Quality of Life Inventory (Frisch et al., 1994). A self-reported quality of life measure assessing 17 domains of life for importance and satisfaction.
Time frame: From baseline to post-treatment (12 weeks)
Results and safety
The study was withdrawn before enrolling participants, so there are no results.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 27 Aug 2025.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Jeremiah Weinstock, PhD principal investigator
St. Louis University
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing mHealth App in people with Gambling Disorder, run by St. Louis University at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 6 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: withdrawn, as of the sponsor's last update on 27 Aug 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study was withdrawn before enrolling participants, so there are no results.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
App usage (feasibility) (time frame: From baseline to post-treatment (12 weeks)). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 27 Aug 2025.