Gambling DisorderNCT07016100
Contingency Management to Reinforce Attendance to Cognitive Behavioral Treatment for Gambling Disorder
A study testing Contingency management and Cognitive behavioral therapy/ treatment as usual in people with Gambling Disorder and Gambling Problem, run by East Tennessee State University at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The aim of this study is to conduct a trial to investigate the effectiveness of adding contingency management treatment (CM) to standard care cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for the treatment of gambling disorder to increase attendance to treatment. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Gambling Disorder, Gambling Problem
- What is being tested?
- Contingency management and Cognitive behavioral therapy/ treatment as usual
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 80 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 1 Sep 2025to Apr 2027
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
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
- Adults age 18 or older
- Seeking treatment for gambling-related concerns at The Gambling Clinic
- Available to meet weekly for eight treatment sessions without a known structural barrier to continuation that could interfere with study conclusions (e.g., planned relocation out of state).
- Proficient in English (assumed by request of gambling treatment in English).
- Must be physically present in the US.
Who cannot join
- Minors under the age of 18.
- Recent history of psychotic symptoms or suicidal intent
- Not proficient in English.
- Seeking gambling treatment for someone other than themselves (e.g., a loved one).
- Will not be available for a full eight weeks of study participation.
- Not physically present in the US.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States1 site
East Tennessee State University
Johnson City, Tennessee, 37614
About this study
Official title: A Randomized Clinical Trial of Contingency Management for Gambling Disorder: Enhancing Treatment Retention and Outcomes
The aim of this study is to conduct a trial to investigate the effectiveness of adding contingency management treatment (CM) to standard care cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for the treatment of gambling disorder to increase attendance to treatment. CM will be used to incentivize therapy session attendance with a therapist and engagement in recovery-related engagement with a peer recovery specialist. The proposed research will evaluate whether CM can enhance the overall effectiveness of CBT, the most widely tested treatment for individuals with gambling disorder.
Read the detailed description
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been established as the most efficacious treatment for gambling disorder. Unfortunately, 39% of those who seek treatment dropout before completing the prescribed treatment dose, a rate that is markedly higher than found with substance use treatment (30%) and mental health treatment (20%). Increasing attendance means more time to learn the skills needed to create and sustain change and, therefore, enhance treatment outcomes. To date, there has been a dearth of research on how to keep people in CBT for gambling disorder. A logical and promising option is using contingency management (CM), where tangible incentives (i.e., vouchers) are provided upon completion of a target behavior, such as treatment attendance. CM has robust support for increasing attendance to substance use treatment (68% of participants receiving CM increase their attendance). Surprisingly, CM has not been tested to motivate attendance in gambling treatment. The current project proposes to conduct a randomized controlled trial to establish the preliminary effectiveness of CM for the treatment of gambling disorder. CM will be used to incentivize attendance to CBT therapy sessions and engagement in peer recovery specialist (PRS)-facilitated recovery support activities. PRS are individuals with lived experience with recovery who use their personal experience and training to create opportunities for tailored support as a client seeking treatment navigates recovery. The selected CM protocol will provide direct gift card payments each time the participant attends a scheduled therapy or recovery activity session. Payments will start at $30 for a therapy session and $10 for a PRS-led activity session and escalate over 8 weeks of treatment. Participants will be recruited from those seeking treatment at our well-established gambling treatment center. All participants will receive a standard course of CBT treatment that includes weekly therapy sessions and PRS-support activities. Participants will be randomized to receive either CBT treatment as usual or CM+CBT, where participants will attend treatment as usual, and each session attended will be monetarily reinforced. The investigators will explore between treatment group changes in gambling behavior, treatment engagement, and other clinical covariates in these individuals at post-treatment and at a 3-month follow-up. Treatment gains will not be limited to strictly abstinence-focused outcomes and will allow for the coding of quantitative and qualitative decreases in gambling behavior and harm, and a calculation of the percentage of individuals who meet their self-selected treatment goal (which can range from abstinence to harm reduction). Results will instrumentally further our present understanding of how to enhance motivation for treatment attendance and clarify the mechanisms of CBT for gambling disorder.
- Conditions
- Gambling Disorder, Gambling Problem
- Being tested
- Contingency management, Cognitive behavioral therapy/ treatment as usual
- Keywords
- contingency management
- Medical subject headings
- Gambling
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Contingency managementBehavioural
See arm description
Cognitive behavioral therapy/ treatment as usualBehavioural
See arm description
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Contingency Management | Experimental | Contingency management is designed to reinforce treatment attendance. Participants will earn gift card vouchers for attendance to therapy sessions and recovery-related engagements with peer support specialists. This treatment is in addition to the standard care/ treatment as usual (cognitive behavioral therapy). Receives: Behavioral: Contingency management |
| Cognitive Behavioral Treatment/ Treatment as Usual | Active comparator | This five phase cognitive behavioral therapy addresses participants' behaviors, thoughts, and emotions to help them change their gambling. Receives: Behavioral: Cognitive behavioral therapy/ treatment as usual |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Proportion of sessions attended out of total
Measured: From treatment start to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
Secondary outcomes (3)
Frequency of days gambled
Number of days gambled per month
Measured: From 30 days prior to treatment start to the end of the 3-month follow-up window
Net monetary expenditures in US $ on gambling
Money spent gambling per month
Measured: From 30 days prior to treatment start to the end of the 3-month follow-up window
Number of gambling symptoms
Quantity of gambling disorder symptoms reported in the past month
Measured: From 30 days prior to treatment start to the end of the 3-month follow-up window
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted11 Jun 2025
- Study start1 Sep 2025 (estimated)
- Primary completion1 Dec 2026 (estimated)
- Study completionApr 2027 (estimated)
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
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Care provider
- Enrolment
- 80 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- East Tennessee State University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07016100
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- P24-0291
- Status last verified
- Jun 2025
- First submitted
- 3 Jun 2025
- Last updated
- 15 Jun 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 15 Jun 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- A Randomized Clinical Trial of Contingency Management for Gambling Disorder: Enhancing Treatment Retention and Outcomes
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07016100
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- P24-0291
- Conditions
- Gambling Disorder, Gambling Problem
- Keywords
- contingency management
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrolment
- 80 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- East Tennessee State UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 1 Sep 2025 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- 1 Dec 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Apr 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 11 Jun 2025 (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 aim of this study is to conduct a trial to investigate the effectiveness of adding contingency management treatment (CM) to standard care cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for the treatment of gambling disorder to increase attendance to treatment. CM will be used to incentivize therapy session attendance with a therapist and engagement in recovery-related engagement with a peer recovery specialist. The proposed research will evaluate whether CM can enhance the overall effectiveness of CBT, the most widely tested treatment for individuals with gambling disorder.
Detailed description
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been established as the most efficacious treatment for gambling disorder. Unfortunately, 39% of those who seek treatment dropout before completing the prescribed treatment dose, a rate that is markedly higher than found with substance use treatment (30%) and mental health treatment (20%). Increasing attendance means more time to learn the skills needed to create and sustain change and, therefore, enhance treatment outcomes. To date, there has been a dearth of research on how to keep people in CBT for gambling disorder. A logical and promising option is using contingency management (CM), where tangible incentives (i.e., vouchers) are provided upon completion of a target behavior, such as treatment attendance. CM has robust support for increasing attendance to substance use treatment (68% of participants receiving CM increase their attendance). Surprisingly, CM has not been tested to motivate attendance in gambling treatment. The current project proposes to conduct a randomized controlled trial to establish the preliminary effectiveness of CM for the treatment of gambling disorder. CM will be used to incentivize attendance to CBT therapy sessions and engagement in peer recovery specialist (PRS)-facilitated recovery support activities. PRS are individuals with lived experience with recovery who use their personal experience and training to create opportunities for tailored support as a client seeking treatment navigates recovery. The selected CM protocol will provide direct gift card payments each time the participant attends a scheduled therapy or recovery activity session. Payments will start at $30 for a therapy session and $10 for a PRS-led activity session and escalate over 8 weeks of treatment. Participants will be recruited from those seeking treatment at our well-established gambling treatment center. All participants will receive a standard course of CBT treatment that includes weekly therapy sessions and PRS-support activities. Participants will be randomized to receive either CBT treatment as usual or CM+CBT, where participants will attend treatment as usual, and each session attended will be monetarily reinforced. The investigators will explore between treatment group changes in gambling behavior, treatment engagement, and other clinical covariates in these individuals at post-treatment and at a 3-month follow-up. Treatment gains will not be limited to strictly abstinence-focused outcomes and will allow for the coding of quantitative and qualitative decreases in gambling behavior and harm, and a calculation of the percentage of individuals who meet their self-selected treatment goal (which can range from abstinence to harm reduction). Results will instrumentally further our present understanding of how to enhance motivation for treatment attendance and clarify the mechanisms of CBT for gambling disorder.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (care provider)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Contingency Management | Experimental | Behavioral: Contingency managementContingency management is designed to reinforce treatment attendance. Participants will earn gift card vouchers for attendance to therapy sessions and recovery-related engagements with peer support specialists. This treatment is in addition to the standard care/ treatment as usual (cognitive behavioral therapy). |
| Cognitive Behavioral Treatment/ Treatment as Usual | Active comparator | Behavioral: Cognitive behavioral therapy/ treatment as usualThis five phase cognitive behavioral therapy addresses participants' behaviors, thoughts, and emotions to help them change their gambling. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Adults age 18 or older
- Seeking treatment for gambling-related concerns at The Gambling Clinic
- Available to meet weekly for eight treatment sessions without a known structural barrier to continuation that could interfere with study conclusions (e.g., planned relocation out of state).
- Proficient in English (assumed by request of gambling treatment in English).
- Must be physically present in the US.
Key exclusion criteria (6 listed)
- Minors under the age of 18.
- Recent history of psychotic symptoms or suicidal intent
- Not proficient in English.
- Seeking gambling treatment for someone other than themselves (e.g., a loved one).
- Will not be available for a full eight weeks of study participation.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Contingency managementSee arm description | Behavioural | Contingency Management |
| Cognitive behavioral therapy/ treatment as usualSee arm description | Behavioural | Cognitive Behavioral Treatment/ Treatment as Usual |
Primary outcome
Proportion of sessions attended out of total
Time frame: From treatment start to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
3 secondary outcomes
Frequency of days gambled
Time frame: From 30 days prior to treatment start to the end of the 3-month follow-up window
Net monetary expenditures in US $ on gambling
Time frame: From 30 days prior to treatment start to the end of the 3-month follow-up window
Number of gambling symptoms
Time frame: From 30 days prior to treatment start to the end of the 3-month follow-up window
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 15 Jun 2025.
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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.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Contingency management and Cognitive behavioral therapy/ treatment as usual in people with Gambling Disorder and Gambling Problem, run by East Tennessee State 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 5 inclusion and 6 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: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 15 Jun 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?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Meredith K Ginley, Ph.D. (14234394113, ginleym@etsu.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Proportion of sessions attended out of total (time frame: From treatment start to the end of treatment at 8 weeks). 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 15 Jun 2025.