Table 3 Module content for gambling only (control) intervention

M1: Introduction

• Introduction to the intervention and website

• Motivational enhancement (i.e. identifying reasons for change, and pros and cons of gambling and not gambling)

• Self-monitoring gambling behaviours

M2: Goal setting

• Determine personal goals related to gambling (i.e. abstinence versus harm reduction)

• Develop SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely) goals for gambling reduction

M3: Risk situations

• Resisting gambling in specific situations (e.g. situations involving negative emotions)

• Developing personal strategies to reduce/abstain from harmful gambling and to control access to money

• Introduce need for pleasurable activity scheduling (i.e. behavioural activation)

• SMART goal setting for pleasurable, low-risk, and healthy activities (e.g. activities that are incompatible with gambling)

M4: Cravings

• Psychoeducation about craving

• Introduce self-monitoring of craving

• New ways to effectively cope with cravings (e.g. distraction, urge surfing, and recalling the negative outcomes of gambling)

M5: Unhelpful thinking

• Review common thinking errors related to gambling (or “gambling traps”)

• Psychoeducation about games of chance

• Identify how misperceptions about gambling odds impact one’s inner dialogue or thoughts

• Introduce the thought record as a way to see associations between situations, automatic thoughts, behaviours, and gambling consequences

• Help foster identification of “gambling traps” and strategies to challenge them

M6: Dealing with slips

• Define a “slip” versus a full-blown relapse

• Introduce ways to cope with slip in gambling

• Introduce relapse prevention planning

M7: Preserve your success

• Identify “early warning signs” for slip/relapse

• Create personalized relapse prevention plan

• Discuss ways to cope with relapse

• Identify top five coping strategies for preventing gambling

• How to know if more treatment is needed (with corresponding recommendations)