A man with curly gray hair, wearing a dark jacket and a red and white checkered shirt, smiling in front of a plain light blue background.

Meet Dr. Jakob Jonsson

Jakob has worked as a therapist and lecturer as well as conducting research on disordered gambling since 1995. He holds a PhD and has had several scientific articles published. Jakob is one of Sweden’s top experts on problem gambling and Responsible Gambling. He is often featured as an expert in the media.

Jakob Jonsson is a certified psychologist, possesses an exhaustive knowledge in the field of Responsible Gambling and is highly regarded in the RG community both in Sweden and internationally.

Jakob has more than twenty five years of experience working with Responsible Gambling, including training programs, investigations, policies, research and communications strategies.

Jakob is often featured as an expert in the media and regularly participates in talks and presentations at conferences and seminars. Working with disordered gamblers and their relatives as a clinical psychologist, Jakob has extensive experience of gambling behaviour. Jakob’s scientific affiliation is Karolinska Institutet.

Webinars with Dr. Jakob Jonsson

Webinars
Future responsible gambling trends
Future responsible gambling trends

This webinar will delve into current practices in responsible gambling, providing general headings and real-world examples to inspire new approaches on player interventions.

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Duty of Care – a shift from reacting to preventing
Duty of Care – a shift from reacting to preventing

An ongoing trend is the shifted focus from responsible gambling to harm reduction. In the wake of the Duty of Care, gambling companies need to take a more active and preventive role towards their customers.

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20 years of treating gambling problems online
20 years of treating gambling problems online

In this webinar we will share our experiences from almost twenty years of working with online treatment for gambling problems. We will take a closer look at the practical work, share experiences from clients and therapists and look at some research studies about the treatment program.

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More than just a call: Proactive outreach calls
More than just a call: Proactive outreach calls

Care calls are an important part of the Duty of Care. A care call is a call directed to at-risk players with the aim to motivate players to a sustainable gambling behaviour. In this webinar we will be taking both a practical and research perspective.

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Publications

  • Jonsson J, Carlbring P and Lindner P (2024) Offering an auto-play feature likely increases total gambling activity at online slot-machines: preliminary evidence from an interrupted time series experiment at a real-life online casino. Front. Psychiatry 15:1340104. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1340104

  • Lakew, N., Jonsson, J. & Lindner, P. (2024) Towards an Active Role of Financial Institutions in Preventing Problem Gambling: A Proposed Conceptual Framework and Taxonomy of Financial Wellbeing Indicators. J Gambl Stud.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-024-10312-8

  • Jonsson, J., Munck, I., Hodgins, D. C., & Carlbring, P. (2023). Reaching Out to Big Losers: Exploring Intervention Effects Using Individualized Follow-Up. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors. Advance online publication. https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/adb0000906

  • Langeland E, Johnsen IF, Sømme KK, Morken AM, Erevik EK, Kolberg E, Jonsson J, Mentzoni RA and Pallesen S (2022) One size does not fit all. Should gambling loss limits be based on income? Front. Psychiatry 13:1005172. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1005172

  • Jonsson, J., Lyckberg, A., Currie, S., Young, M.M., Pallesen, S. & Carlbring, P. (2022) In search of lower risk gambling levels using behavioral data from a gambling monopolist. Journal of Behavioral Addictions 11 3, 890–899 https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.2022.00062

  • Jonsson, J., Hodgins, D.C., Munck, I. et al. Reaching Out to Big Losers: How Different Types of Gamblers are Affected by a Brief Motivational Contact Initiated by the Gambling Provider. J Gambl Stud 37, 387–401 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-020-09978-7

  • Lindner, P.; Forsström, D.; Jonsson, J.; Berman, A.H.; Carlbring, P. (2020) Transitioning Between Online Gambling Modalities and Decrease in Total Gambling Activity, but No Indication of Increase in Problematic Online Gambling Intensity During the First Phase of the COVID-19 Outbreak in Sweden: A Time Series Forecast Study. Front. Public Health 8, 55454 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2020.554542

  • Jonsson, J., Hodgins, D. C., Munck, I., and Carlbring, P. (2020) Reaching out to big losers leads to sustained reductions in gambling over 1 year: a randomized controlled trial of brief motivational contact. Addiction, 115: 1522-1531. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.14982.

  • Jonsson, J. (2019) Preventing problem gambling: Focus on overconsumption. Doctoral thesis. Stockholm, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University. https://su.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1347137/FULLTEXT01.pdf

  • Jonsson, J., Hodgins, D. C., Munck, I., & Carlbring, P. (2019). Reaching out to big losers: A randomized controlled trial of brief motivational contact providing gambling expenditure feedback. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 33(3), 179-189. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/adb0000447

  • Jonsson J, Abbott MW, Sjöberg A and Carlbring P (2017) Measuring Gambling Reinforcers, Over Consumption and Fallacies: The Psychometric Properties and Predictive Validity of the Jonsson-Abbott Scale. Front. Psychol. 8:1807. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01807

  • Jonsson, J., Munck, I., Volberg, R. et al. GamTest: Psychometric Evaluation and the Role of Emotions in an Online Self-Test for Gambling Behavior. J Gambl Stud 33, 505–523 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-017-9676-4

  • Sundqvist, K., Jonsson, J., & Wennberg, P. (2016). Gambling Motives in a Representative Swedish Sample of Risk Gamblers. Journal of Gambling Studies, 32(4), 1231-1241 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-016-9607-9

  • Blume, K, Jonsson, J, Nilsson E, Nilsson T (2016) A qualitative evaluation of ”Talk about Gambling (a preventive school programme) Report to te Swedish Gaming Board December 2016. Stockholm: Sustainable Interaction

  • An eleven years follow-up of gambling and health among people with previous gambling problems. Report nr 7 in the Swelogs programme. Public health agency of Sweden (2015) (Written by Jakob Jonsson, as seen in the director-general’s foreword) ISBN 978-91-7603-482-8

  • Book chapter on gambling addiction together with Per Carlbring in CBT within psychiatry. (2013) Lars-Görann Öst editor. 

  • Carlbring, P., Degerman, N., Jonsson, J., & Andersson, G. (2012). Internet-based treatment of pathological gambling with a three-year follow-up. Cogn Behav Ther, 41(4), 321-334. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/16506073.2012.689323

  • Book chapter ”Internet poker in Sweden 2007” in Routledge International Handbook of Internet Gambling (2012). Edited by Robert Williams, Robert Wood and Jonathan Parke

  • Swedish National Institute of Public Health (2010) Open care project for Gambling Addicts. An assessment.  R 2010:15, Swedish National Institute of Public Health, Östersund. (Written by Jakob Jonsson and Henrik Josephson, as seen in the director-general’s foreword).

  • Editor, together with Per Binde. National Association for Gambling Addicts 10 years – a commemorative book, as well as author of one of the book’s chapters (2010). 

  • Carlbring, P, Jonsson, J, Josephson, H, Forsberg, L. (2010) Motivational Interviewing Versus Cognitive Behavioral Group Therapy in the Treatment of Problem and Pathological Gambling: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 2, 2010, 92-103  https://doi.org/10.1080/16506070903190245

  • Book chapter in Problem Gambling in Europe – Challenges, Prevention and Intervention 2008

  • Jonsson, J. (2006). An Overview of Prevalence Surveys of Problem and Pathological Gambling in the Nordic Countries [Electronic version]. Journal of Gambling Issues, 18, 31-38 https://cdspress.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Jakob-Jonsson-.pdf

  • Hultén, I., Jonsson, J. & Jonsson, C-O.  Hultén, I., Jonsson, J. & Jonsson, C-O. (2005) Mental and somatic health in a non-clinical sample 10 years after a diagnosis of encopresis. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Volume 14, Number 8, 438-445

  • Jonsson, J (2005) Knowledge basis regarding network poker for Swedish National Institute of Public Health http://www.fhi.se/upload/ar2005/remisser/jonssonnatpoker0504.pdf (100315)

  • Jonsson, J. (2003) Support and help for gambling addicts’ relatives. Report no. 2003:23. Stockholm: Swedish National Institute of Public Health.

  • Jonsson, J., Andrén, A., Nilsson, T., Svensson, O., Munck, I. Kindstedt, A. & Rönnberg, S. 2003). Gambling addiction in Sweden – what characterises persons with gambling problems. Stockholm: Swedish National Institute of Public Health.

  • Rönnberg, S., Volberg, R., Abbott, M., Moore, L., Andrén, A., Munck, I., Jonsson, J., Nilsson, T. & Svensson, O. (1999). Gambling and gambling addiction in Sweden. Report no. 3 in the Swedish National Institute of Public Health’s series on gambling and gambling addiction. Stockholm: Swedish National Institute of Public Health.

  • Jonsson, J (1994) Being a close relative of a gambling addict. Psychology examination dissertation. Stockholm: Stockholm University.