Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Faculty & Research
  • Faculty
  • Research
  • Featured Topics
  • Academic Units
  • …→
  • Harvard Business School→
  • Faculty & Research→
Publications
Publications
  • October 2021
  • Article
  • World Bank Economic Review

Changing Gambling Behavior through Experiential Learning

By: Shawn A. Cole, Martin Abel and Bilal Zia
  • Format:Print
ShareBar

Abstract

This paper tests experiential learning as a debiasing tool to reduce gambling in South Africa, through a randomized field experiment. The study implements a simple, interactive game that simulates the odds of winning the national lottery through dice rolling. Participants first roll one die until they obtain a six, followed by two dice until they roll 2 sixes. They are then informed that the probability of winning the lottery jackpot is equivalent to rolling all sixes with nine dice. The results show that individuals who need many attempts to roll 2 sixes play the lottery significantly less than the control group, while those who need fewer attempts adopt the opposite behavior. These findings provide practical guidance for designing interventions to give individuals brief experiences that correct biases in their beliefs.

Keywords

Debiasing; Experiential Learning; Behavioral Economics; Financial Education; Learning; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Behavior; Decision Making

Citation

Cole, Shawn A., Martin Abel, and Bilal Zia. "Changing Gambling Behavior through Experiential Learning." World Bank Economic Review 35, no. 3 (October 2021): 745–763.
  • Find it at Harvard
  • Read Now

About The Author

Shawn A. Cole

Finance
→More Publications

More from the Authors

    • September 2025
    • Journal of Development Economics

    Using Satellites and Phones to Evaluate and Promote Agricultural Technology Adoption: Evidence from Smallholder Farms in India

    By: Shawn Cole, Tomoko Harigaya, Grady Killeen and Aparna Krishna
    • March 2025 (Revised June 2025)
    • Faculty Research

    Getting to Net Zero: The Role of the Financial Sector

    By: Shawn Cole, Jonah Zahnd, Karina Chung and Jack Cenovic
    • 2025
    • Faculty Research

    Using Satellites and Phones to Evaluate and Promote Agricultural Technology Adoption: Evidence from Smallholder Farms in India

    By: Shawn Cole, Grady Killeen, Tomoko Harigaya and Aparna Krishna
More from the Authors
  • Using Satellites and Phones to Evaluate and Promote Agricultural Technology Adoption: Evidence from Smallholder Farms in India By: Shawn Cole, Tomoko Harigaya, Grady Killeen and Aparna Krishna
  • Getting to Net Zero: The Role of the Financial Sector By: Shawn Cole, Jonah Zahnd, Karina Chung and Jack Cenovic
  • Using Satellites and Phones to Evaluate and Promote Agricultural Technology Adoption: Evidence from Smallholder Farms in India By: Shawn Cole, Grady Killeen, Tomoko Harigaya and Aparna Krishna
ǁ
Campus Map
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
→Map & Directions
→More Contact Information
  • Make a Gift
  • Site Map
  • Jobs
  • Harvard University
  • Trademarks
  • Policies
  • Accessibility
  • Digital Accessibility
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College.