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OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT05075213

QuitBet Phase II: A Digital Social Game That Pays You to Stop Smoking

This study is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of QuitBet, a digital contingency management program for smoking cessation. QuitBet combines social gaming elements with participant-funded financial incentives in the form of a deposit contract. QuitBet "players" deposit (called the "bet") a specified amount of their own money into the game's "pot." All "winners" who achieve the game's goal split the pot equally, such that their bet is fully refunded plus they receive extra money from the forfeited bets of players who did not meet the goal. Participants (N = 550) will be randomly assigned to QuitBet or QuitBet-NS (deposit contract only, no social elements). All participants will be offered a second game after their first game (up to 8 weeks total game duration) and will be asked to complete a survey after each game and at 1 and 4 months after the end of the second game (3 and 6 months after the start of their first game). The study will compare QuitBet vs. QuitBet-NS on smoking behavior outcomes and examine potential mediators of outcomes such as motivation, engagement, and satisfaction.

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Key information

Conditions

Smoking Cessation Behavior Health Behavior

Age range

21 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

WayBetter

Wilmington, Delaware, 19807, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Sufficient English fluency to complete study procedures
  • At least 21 years of age
  • U.S. resident of any state
  • currently smokes at least 5 cigarettes per day
  • has an email address
  • has a mailing address at which they can receive packages
  • owns an Internet-connected Apple iPhone or Android smartphone that is compatible with QuitBet
  • willing to deposit $30 via PayPal or a credit card
  • willing to receive financial incentives earned during QuitBet via PayPal or in a paper check sent by mail

Treatment and study plan

contingency management (deposit contract)

Behavioral

Participants will deposit $30 of their own money to play QuitBet. Participants will submit a CO test once per day between the hours of noon and 11:59pm. Participants whose CO test is 6ppm or lower (indicating no smoking) on at least 24 of 26 days between day 3-28 of the game will be declared winners and split the pot of deposited money. Participants who submit at least 21 CO tests, regardless of the result, will be entered into a raffle to win a prize worth $75.

leaderboard and social feed

Behavioral

Participants will have access to a discussion board on which participants can post and respond to messages to each other. Also, a game host will post educational information about smoking cessation and serve as a discussion moderator.

smoking cessation resource list

Behavioral

Participants will have access to a list of smoking cessation resources

Primary outcomes

  1. Number of Participants Who Reported no Cigarette Smoking During the Past 7 Days

    Time frame: 6 months after the start date of their first QuitBet game

    At 6 month follow-up, participant reported no smoking during the past 7 days (survey question: "Have you smoked a cigarette, even just a puff, during the past 7 days?" with answer choices of "yes" or "no" - participant responded "no").

Secondary outcomes

  1. Number of Participants Who Choose to Play a Second Game

    Time frame: 4 weeks after the start date of their first QuitBet game (end of game), when they were given the option to join a second game

    Number of participants who chose to play a second QuitBet game

  2. Cigarettes Per Day During the Past 7 Days

    Time frame: 6 months after the start of their first QuitBet game

    At 6 month follow up, the number of cigarettes the participant reported smoking during the previous 7 days (survey respondents only).

    In the 6 month follow-up survey, participants were first asked "Have you smoked a cigarette, even just a puff, during the past 7 days?" (yes/no answer choice). Participants who answered "no" were counted as smoking 0 cigarettes in this analysis. Participants who answered "yes" were then asked to report how many cigarettes they smoked on each day during the past week (day 1 being this day last week, day 2, day 3, day 4, day 5, day 6, day 7 being yesterday). The average of the 7 days was used in this analysis.

  3. Number of Participants Who Used Smoking Cessation Medication

    Time frame: 6 month period beginning with the start of their first QuitBet game

    Number of participants who reported use of any smoking cessation medication (including any form of nicotine replacement therapy, buproprion, or varencline) at any time during their participation in the study, from the start of their first QuitBet game until the last follow-up 6 months later

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

WayBetter, Inc.

Industry

Collaborators

  • Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2021
Primary completion
2024
Study completion
2024
First posted
Oct 12, 2021
Registry last updated
Feb 27, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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