Mary Donohue’s pioneering spirit at the confluence of technology and mental health has established her as a leading authority on mitigating digital addiction. As the visionary CEO of the Digital Wellness Center, she has channeled personal adversity to create innovative digital wellness solutions with global impact.
Donohue explains how her methodology relies on guidance rather than deterrence, offering micro-breaks that help players regulate their emotions and avoid impulsive decisions.
The tool has already demonstrated significant improvements in user mood and engagement, as evidenced by its pilot project with Casino.NL. She also highlights the importance of adapting this approach to the fast-growing Brazilian market, emphasizing that players need support, not just regulatory restrictions. She also criticizes the traditional view of the industry and regulators on responsible gaming, arguing that the focus should be on empowering players, not punishing them. Finally, Donohue mentions plans to expand myStridePositivePlay™ to other sectors, such as finance and e-commerce, reinforcing the potential of the approach to improve decision-making in different areas.
GMB – What is myStridePositivePlay™? What motivated the application of neuroscience to responsible gaming?
Dr. Mary Donohue – myStridePositivePlay™ is a neuroscience-driven responsible gaming tool designed to help players stay in control, make better decisions, and enjoy gaming in a healthy way. Instead of interrupting gameplay with warnings, it provides engaging micro-breaks that increase focus, balance emotions, and prevent impulsive decisions.
It’s like a seatbelt for your brain—it doesn’t stop you from playing, but it helps you do it smarter. Through short interactive games and guided moments of reflection, players can reset, become aware of their emotions, and maintain control over their experience.
The goal isn’t to encourage more gaming—it’s to ensure it remains fun, safe, and intentional. We’re using the latest behavioral science to empower players with tools that support confidence, well-being, and responsible gaming.
How the Digital Wellness Center come about?
It all started with my brother. He made a bad bet, and I wrote a book about it. But what stood out to me was that it wasn’t about the gambling itself—it was about decision-making. His stress levels, his dopamine fluctuations, the impulsivity we all experience when emotions override logic.
At the time, I was working with high-stress teams in technology, transportation, and consulting, helping leaders make better choices under pressure. We were also launching clinical trials for oncology patients to help them manage cognitive fatigue. The common thread? People under stress make poor decisions.
I realized that responsible gaming had been stuck in the past—reactive, punitive, and focused on stopping behavior rather than guiding it. MyStridePositivePlay™ was built on the idea that responsible gaming should be proactive, engaging, and rooted in neuroscience. Our work has taken us everywhere—from airports to sports betting apps—because the challenge isn’t just gambling. It’s about making better decisions, no matter the environment.
What sets myStridePositivePlay™ apart from traditional responsible gaming initiatives?Traditional responsible gaming is based on deterrence—warnings, pop-ups, timeouts. It assumes that interrupting play will lead to better decisions, but the data shows otherwise. Science has moved far beyond that approach.
We’re flipping the paradigm. Instead of telling players to stop, we help them regulate their mood so they can make better choices in real-time. MyStridePositivePlay™ is like a seatbelt — it doesn’t stop you from driving, but it helps protect you from harm. Our research shows a 50% improvement in mood within three minutes — a massive shift in player engagement and well-being. It’s the difference between punishment and empowerment.
Your research shows that "interventions" work better than "interruptions." Can you explain this difference and its significance?
Interruptions are distractions. They break your focus and often cause frustration — think of a pop-up telling you to stop playing. No one likes being told what to do. It triggers a defensive reaction rather than behavioral change.
Interventions, on the other hand, work with the player, not against them. Our approach leverages creativity, novelty, and mood tracking to create microbreaks that shift a player’s mental state. When players engage with a Droodle or a cadence-based game, they actively choose to reset their emotional balance. That shift in control makes all the difference—it increases trust, engagement, and decision-making quality.
It’s the same psychology that makes people trust GPS over road signs. When the guidance is personalized and feels helpful, people listen.
How does the "cadence scale" measure and improve players' moods, and why is it so effective?
The cadence scale is a brain shift in itself. When was the last time someone asked you how you were feeling while you were doing something, let alone a trained professional? The cadence scale does exactly that—it lets players self-assess their mood before engaging with an intervention.
Most people don’t realize their emotions are affecting their play until they’ve already made a bad decision. By prompting a check-in, we make that moment of awareness happen earlier. Then, by delivering science-backed interventions that align with the player's emotional state, we help them regain control of their decision-making.
We see a 50% improvement in mood after just a few minutes. That’s not just good for responsible gaming—it’s good business. Players who feel in control stay engaged longer, trust the platform more, and are more likely to return. The cadence scale is patent pending, reinforcing our commitment to innovation in responsible gaming.
The concept of "microbreaks" helps players stay in control. How does it work in practice?
Think of microbreaks like stretching before a run. If you take just a few moments to warm up, you reduce injury and improve performance. We do the same thing for the brain.
In practice, our microbreaks take the form of engaging, mood-shifting activities—like playing a quick Droodle, matching pairs, or listening to Binaural Beats for focus and enhanced play. Each of these activities helps regulate dopamine levels, keeping players in what we call the Entertainment Zone—where they feel joy, balance, and control.
The key? It’s all player-driven. They choose when and how to engage, which makes them far more likely to use these tools.
The pilot with Casino.NL delivered impressive results. What were the key takeaways?
Casino.NL is a perfect example of what happens when responsible gaming is done right. Engagement was 75% higher than expected, proving that players are willing to engage with responsible gaming when it’s well designed. Our Net Promoter Score (NPS) was 97, indicating that users loved the experience.
Mood tracking showed a 50% improvement in emotional state in just three minutes, reinforcing our neuroscience-based approach.
The biggest takeaway? Players want to make better decisions. We just need to give them the right tools.
How can operators and affiliates integrate neuroscience-based strategies to enhance responsible gaming?
Three simple steps:
- Make it engaging. Players should want to participate—not feel forced. Use humor, gamification, and creativity;
- Measure emotions, not just actions. Tracking clicks and deposits is not enough. If you’re not tracking player mood and decision quality, you’re missing the bigger picture;
- Think like a coach, not a referee. Stop focusing on stopping bad behavior. Start guiding good behavior. Players respond better when they feel supported, not policed.
In Brazil, the online betting market is growing rapidly. How can tools like myStridePositivePlay™ contribute to a safer environment for players?
Brazil is one of the most exciting gaming markets right now—but with rapid growth comes responsibility. Players need guidance, not restrictions.
myStridePositivePlay™ can help educate and empower Brazilian players by integrating neuroscience-backed microbreaks into betting platforms. Instead of reactive regulations, we can provide engaging, culturally relevant tools that help players stay in control.
The best part? It’s scalable. Whether it’s through social media for Gen Z, apps for millennials, or web-based interventions for older players, we can meet Brazilian players where they are.
What do regulators and industry leaders often get wrong about responsible gaming, and what should they do differently?
They focus on stopping play rather than improving play. The industry is still built around fear—fear of lawsuits, fear of addiction, fear of scrutiny. But fear doesn’t lead to innovation.
The data is clear—players don’t respond well to forced interventions. They respond to trust, guidance, and engagement.
Regulators should shift their focus from compliance-based models to neuroscience-backed engagement models. Instead of punishing bad behavior, we should be rewarding good decision-making.
What are the next steps for myStridePositivePlay™? Are there plans for expansion into other industries or markets, such as Brazil?
We’re just getting started. Our next phase is expanding beyond gambling. The same neuroscience-driven strategies we use to improve decision-making in gaming can be applied to finance, travel, and even e-commerce.
But in the short term? We’re focused on scaling up in gaming markets like Brazil, the Netherlands, and North America. We’re introducing Binaural Beats, AI-driven mood personalization, and real-time adaptive interventions to take our work to the next level.
We’re changing responsible gaming from a rule to a relationship—and that’s the future. For more on myStridePositivePlay™, visit Casino.NL's forward-thinking approach.
Source: Exclusive GMB
