Mark D. Griffiths

Mark D. Griffiths — My Academic Journey in Gambling Studies and Behavioural Addiction

My name is Mark D. Griffiths, and for more than three decades I have worked as a psychologist specialising in behavioural addictions, with a particular focus on gambling, gaming, and other excessive digital behaviours. Throughout my career, my aim has been to understand not only whether people develop problematic relationships with certain activities, but why this happens, how products and environments contribute to risk, and what can realistically be done to reduce harm.

When I began my academic career, behavioural addictions were still widely debated. Many researchers accepted substance addictions as legitimate clinical phenomena but were sceptical that behaviours such as gambling or gaming could produce comparable psychological patterns. I believed then — and still believe — that understanding addiction requires examining reinforcement mechanisms, cognitive biases, emotional regulation, and social context, not only pharmacology.

This perspective has shaped my entire research agenda and continues to guide my work in gambling studies, cyberpsychology, and public health–oriented prevention research.

Education and early academic formation

Undergraduate studies — University of Bradford

I completed my Bachelor of Science in Psychology (First Class Honours) at the University of Bradford in 1987. My undergraduate studies reinforced my interest in applied psychology — not just abstract theory, but behavioural science that could explain real-life problems and inform practical interventions.

At that time, gambling behaviour was rarely treated as a central psychological issue. However, I was already interested in activities that people struggled to control despite negative consequences, especially when those activities were socially normalised.

Doctoral research — University of Exeter

I completed my PhD in Psychology at the University of Exeter in 1990. My doctoral research focused on fruit machine gambling, which in the UK refers to electronic slot-style gambling machines commonly found in arcades and pubs.

My PhD examined how reinforcement schedules, near misses, and perceived control could shape persistent gambling behaviour. This work became the foundation for my later interest in how game mechanics and structural characteristics of products can drive excessive engagement.

At the time, few psychologists treated gambling machines as serious objects of addiction research. I felt strongly that this was a mistake — and much of my later work has continued to examine how product design interacts with vulnerability.

Early academic career

University of Plymouth (1990–1995)

After completing my doctorate, I worked as a Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Plymouth between 1990 and 1995. During this period, I balanced teaching responsibilities with research focused on gambling behaviour, adolescent risk, and early theoretical models of behavioural dependence.

This stage of my career allowed me to refine both my research methods and my teaching approach. I have always believed that good research and good teaching should inform each other. Working closely with students also kept me grounded in real-world behavioural patterns rather than purely laboratory-based models.

During these years, I began publishing more widely in peer-reviewed journals and presenting at international conferences, gradually building a research network that would later support large-scale collaborative projects.

Nottingham Trent University and long-term research development

Joining NTU and promotion to Professor

I joined Nottingham Trent University (NTU) in October 1995, where I remained for most of my academic career. In 2002, I was awarded the title of Professor of Psychology, and in 2017, I was appointed Distinguished Professor.

At NTU, I was able to develop a sustained research programme focused on behavioural addictions, supported by doctoral supervision, institutional backing, and international collaboration.

International Gaming Research Unit

At NTU, I founded and directed the International Gaming Research Unit (IGRU). The purpose of the unit has always been to promote multidisciplinary research into gambling and gaming, combining psychology, public health, sociology, and data-driven behavioural analysis.

Through IGRU, I have worked with researchers across Europe, North America, Asia, and Australasia. The unit has supported PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, and externally funded projects examining online gambling behaviour, harm-reduction tools, and emerging digital risks.

My academic and professional positions

My main research themes

Throughout my career, I have focused on several interconnected research areas:

• Problem gambling and gambling disorder
• Online gambling environments and player behaviour
• Video game addiction and excessive gaming
• Internet and social media overuse
• Structural characteristics of addictive products
• Public health approaches to behavioural risk

A major theme in my work is that addiction is not only about individuals. It is also about products, environments, marketing, and reinforcement structures. Gambling machines, video games, and digital platforms are engineered systems that shape behaviour in predictable ways.

The components model of addiction

One of my most widely cited theoretical contributions is the components model of addiction, which proposes that all addictions share six core features:

1. Salience
2. Mood modification
3. Tolerance
4. Withdrawal
5. Conflict
6. Relapse

This model has been applied across many behavioural domains, including gambling, gaming, exercise, and social media use. It was developed to encourage researchers and clinicians to think about addiction as a pattern of experience and behaviour, not merely chemical dependency.

Publications and academic output

Over the course of my career, I have published:

• 1,600+ refereed academic papers
• 7 books
• 200+ book chapters
• 1,500+ professional and public articles

My work appears in journals such as:

• Addiction
• Journal of Gambling Studies
• International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction
• Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking

I have also presented hundreds of invited keynote talks at international conferences and academic institutions worldwide.

Selected key publications

Teaching, supervision, and mentoring

Teaching has always been central to my professional identity. I teach across undergraduate and postgraduate psychology programmes, particularly in:

• abnormal psychology
• social psychology
• health psychology
• behavioural addiction modules

I have supervised more than 50 PhD students, covering topics such as gambling behaviour, gaming disorder, internet use, and mindfulness-based interventions.

In 2006, I received the British Psychological Society Excellence in Teaching of Psychology Award, which remains one of the honours I value most, as it reflects direct educational impact.

Public engagement, consultancy, and policy involvement

Beyond academia, I have worked extensively with:

• government departments
• gambling regulators
• public health agencies
• gaming and gambling operators

I have consulted for over 50 gaming companies worldwide on responsible gambling and player protection strategies, and I have advised regulatory bodies including the UK Gambling Commission.

I have also appeared in thousands of radio and television programmes and written extensively for newspapers and popular media, because I believe that research must be communicated clearly if it is to influence real-world behaviour and policy.

Reflections on impact and future relevance

Looking back, I see my career as closely linked to the transformation of gambling and digital entertainment. When I began, gambling research focused largely on physical venues and machines. Today, behavioural risk is embedded in complex online systems, mobile platforms, and hybrid gaming–gambling products.

Many of the psychological mechanisms I studied early in my career — reinforcement schedules, cognitive distortion, emotional escape — remain highly relevant in today’s digital ecosystems.

My hope is that my work continues to contribute not only to academic understanding, but also to better product design, stronger regulation, and more effective prevention strategies.