Gambling ProblemNCT07028450
Effects of Proactive Call to Customers of Norsk Rikstoto (Horse Gambling Operator in Norway): A Randomized Controlled Study
A study testing Proactive call in people with Gambling Problem, run by University of Bergen at 1 site in Norway.
Trial summary
Customers/gamblers gambling at Norsk Rikstoto (gambling monopolist in Norway providing horse gambling products with potential gambling problems will be randomly allocated to receive a proactive phone call (encouraging them to change their gambling behavior - e.g., be lowering the loss limit) or to a control condition. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 50 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Gambling Problem
- What is being tested?
- Proactive call
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 195 participants
- Where
- 1 siteNorway
- Study dates
- 16 Feb 2026to 31 Dec 2026
- 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 to 50 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Being identified (based on an algorithm used by Norsk Rikstoto/the gambling provider) as a high risk gambler at least 5 of the last 30 days
Who cannot join
- Previously received a proactive call from Norsk Rikstoto
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Norway1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
University of Bergen, Department of Psychosocial Science
Bergen, Vestland, 5020
Ståle Pallesen, PhD, +4792632099, staale.pallesen@uib.no
Andre Syvertsen, PhD, andre.syvertsen@uib.no
About this study
Official title: Effects of Proactive Calls: A Randomized Controlled Study
Customers/gamblers gambling at Norsk Rikstoto (gambling monopolist in Norway providing horse gambling products with potential gambling problems will be randomly allocated to receive a proactive phone call (encouraging them to change their gambling behavior - e.g., be lowering the loss limit) or to a control condition. Outcomes will be short and long terms registered gambling behavior.
Read the detailed description
Norsk Rikstoto (gambling monopolist in Norway providing horse gambling products) enforces registered play, hence all gambling transactions and outcomes of stakes of all customers are registered and stored for 5 years. Based on daily algorithms high risk gamblers are identified. Gamblers 18-50 years who for at least 5 of the last 30 days have been identified as high risk gamblers will according to a 1.5:1 ratio be allocated to a proactive call condition or to a control condition.
The call will be based on principles from motivating interviewing and will contain encouragements to alter gambling behavior (e.g., lowering loss limits). Primary outcome comprises theoretical loss (total bet x house advantage ((100% - payback%) / 100)). Secondary outcomes comprises total stakes made by the customer and loss percentage (proportion of stake that is lost). Baseline data comprises gambling behavior the 30 days before the call. Short-term effects comprise cumulative registered gambling behavior the first 90 days after the call whereas long-term effects consist of cumulative registered gambling behavior day 91-180 after the call. A random block design will be used where 15 eligible customers each week will be allocated either to the proactive call condition (n=9) or to the control condition (n=6).
- Conditions
- Gambling Problem
- Being tested
- Proactive call
- Keywords
- Gambling Problem, Proactive calls, Randomized controlled trial, mini-intervention
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Proactive callBehavioural
The proactive call will be based on the principles of motivational interviewing. The content of the call comprises: 1) Asking the gambler/recipient to reflect on their gambling behavior, 2) providing to the gambler/recipient an overview of their gambling account and financial history, 3) offering to the gambler/recipient information about responsible gambling tools, such as setting lower limits, locking limits, taking a break, or self-exclusion, and 4) providing to the gambler/recipient information about relevant support services and the Gamban tool in cases where a need is expressed.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| One proactive call | Experimental | The call is based on principles of motivating interviewing and will in addition encourage the recipient to change his/hers gambling behavior (e.g., lower pre-set loss limits). Receives: Behavioral: Proactive call |
| Control | No intervention | No contact/not reaching out |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Theoretical loss
Total bet x house advantage ((100%-payback%) / 100)
Measured: Change from baseline (30 days before the call) to day 1-90 after the call (short-term effect) and change from baseline (30 days before the call) to day 91-180 after the call (long-term effect).
Secondary outcomes (2)
Total stake
Total amount of money staked
Measured: Change from baseline (30 days before the call) to the first 90 days after the call (short term) and change from baseline to day 91-180 after the call
Loss percentage
Percentage of stakes that are lost
Measured: Change from baseline (30 days before the call) to day 1-90 after the call (short-term effect) and change from baseline (30 days before the call) to day 91-180 after the call (long-term effect).
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted19 Jun 2025
- Study start16 Feb 2026
- Primary completion31 Dec 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion31 Dec 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Gambling ProblemStudies 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
- Model description
- The two arms/conditions involves one proactive phone call or a control condition
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 195 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Bergen
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07028450
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- Spillforsk25/1
- Status last verified
- Feb 2026
- First submitted
- 11 Jun 2025
- Last updated
- 11 May 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Researchers may contact the principle investigator and ask for access to the data in anonymous form
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 11 May 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Effects of Proactive Calls: A Randomized Controlled Study
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07028450
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- Spillforsk25/1
- Conditions
- Gambling Problem
- Keywords
- Gambling Problem, Proactive calls, Randomized controlled trial, mini-intervention
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 195 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University of BergenUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 16 Feb 2026 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 31 Dec 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 31 Dec 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 19 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.
Customers/gamblers gambling at Norsk Rikstoto (gambling monopolist in Norway providing horse gambling products with potential gambling problems will be randomly allocated to receive a proactive phone call (encouraging them to change their gambling behavior - e.g., be lowering the loss limit) or to a control condition. Outcomes will be short and long terms registered gambling behavior.
Detailed description
Norsk Rikstoto (gambling monopolist in Norway providing horse gambling products) enforces registered play, hence all gambling transactions and outcomes of stakes of all customers are registered and stored for 5 years. Based on daily algorithms high risk gamblers are identified. Gamblers 18-50 years who for at least 5 of the last 30 days have been identified as high risk gamblers will according to a 1.5:1 ratio be allocated to a proactive call condition or to a control condition.
The call will be based on principles from motivating interviewing and will contain encouragements to alter gambling behavior (e.g., lowering loss limits). Primary outcome comprises theoretical loss (total bet x house advantage ((100% - payback%) / 100)). Secondary outcomes comprises total stakes made by the customer and loss percentage (proportion of stake that is lost). Baseline data comprises gambling behavior the 30 days before the call. Short-term effects comprise cumulative registered gambling behavior the first 90 days after the call whereas long-term effects consist of cumulative registered gambling behavior day 91-180 after the call. A random block design will be used where 15 eligible customers each week will be allocated either to the proactive call condition (n=9) or to the control condition (n=6).
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- The two arms/conditions involves one proactive phone call or a control condition
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| One proactive call | Experimental | Behavioral: Proactive callThe call is based on principles of motivating interviewing and will in addition encourage the recipient to change his/hers gambling behavior (e.g., lower pre-set loss limits). |
| Control | No intervention | –No contact/not reaching out |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 50 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Being identified (based on an algorithm used by Norsk Rikstoto/the gambling provider) as a high risk gambler at least 5 of the last 30 days
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Previously received a proactive call from Norsk Rikstoto
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Proactive callThe proactive call will be based on the principles of motivational interviewing. The content of the call comprises: 1) Asking the gambler/recipient to reflect on their gambling behavior, 2) providing to the gambler/recipient an overview of their gambling account and financial history, 3) offering to the gambler/recipient information about responsible gambling tools, such as setting lower limits, locking limits, taking a break, or self-exclusion, and 4) providing to the gambler/recipient information about relevant support services and the Gamban tool in cases where a need is expressed. | Behavioural | One proactive call |
Primary outcome
Theoretical loss
Time frame: Change from baseline (30 days before the call) to day 1-90 after the call (short-term effect) and change from baseline (30 days before the call) to day 91-180 after the call (long-term effect).
Total bet x house advantage ((100%-payback%) / 100)
2 secondary outcomes
Total stake
Time frame: Change from baseline (30 days before the call) to the first 90 days after the call (short term) and change from baseline to day 91-180 after the call
Loss percentage
Time frame: Change from baseline (30 days before the call) to day 1-90 after the call (short-term effect) and change from baseline (30 days before the call) to day 91-180 after the call (long-term effect).
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 11 May 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. Researchers may contact the principle investigator and ask for access to the data in anonymous form
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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 Proactive call in people with Gambling Problem, run by University of Bergen at 1 site in Norway.
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 1 inclusion and 1 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: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 11 May 2026. 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 Norway. 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 Ståle Pallesen, PhD (+4792632099, staale.pallesen@uib.no), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Theoretical loss (time frame: Change from baseline (30 days before the call) to day 1-90 after the call (short-term effect) and change from baseline (30 days before the call) to day 91-180 after the call (long-term effect).). 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 11 May 2026; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 8 Nov 2026.