A new initiative in the UK is exploring how gambling fits into people’s lives and what their motivations are to gamble. Introduced today by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC), the findings of the project will be published in a series of blogs online.
The new initiative is based on in-depth qualitative research conducted by a private agency and commission by the UKGC. It aims at providing insight into the psychology of gambling and helping the industry to deliver “fairer and safer” gambling. The first blog was published on Friday and it focuses on understanding people’s motivations to gamble. The findings laid out online are from a research paper by the 2CV company, which carried out several studies and multiple interviews with participants, while also organizing workshops.
According to the Gambling Commission, several key themes could be highlighted. For instance, most people tend to perceive their gambling behaviour as perfectly normal, whereas only others are described as problem gamblers. The majority of 17 to 70 years old participants also believe that gambling is “just for fun” and that they should be responsible gamblers and yet, they remain vulnerable to risky behaviours.
One of the most interesting findings is that people often see various gambling activities as “not gambling”. Participants were asked to assess more than twenty activities – which ones constituted gambling and which ones did not. All 23 activities, with no exception, were not recognized by some percentage of the people as a form of gambling – 60 per cent of people said that loot boxes were not gambling, 53 per cent said the same about skins betting, and 49 per cent categorized arcades and non-NL lotteries as “not gambling”.
Furthermore, some participants in the study did not recognize slot machines and casino table games as gambling – 19 and 17 per cent, respectively. Another 21 per cent of the people said that sports betting was not a form of gambling. However, they were asked not to think about the technical definitions but, rather, to trust their instincts. In addition, participants largely believed that “normal” gambling is acceptable behaviour and this normalization was reinforced on several different levels – personal, cultural, and even institutional.
Researchers Identify 8 Gambling Typologies
In the blog published today, the UKGC focuses on the so-called gambling typologies – instead of looking at demographics, researchers explored the moment-based motivations for gambling. A total of eight different typologies have been identified and according to researchers, they affect the decisions people make when they gamble. For instance, the main reasons why people gamble are to have fun and win money.
The full list of different typologies includes – passing the time, having money to burn, for the thrill of gambling, just something people do as a habit, to be social, for the banter, for the joy of the game, and because skill games are seen as a wise decision. Any number of these could motivate the same person in different situations, however, say researchers.
The Gambling Commission will continue its blog posts on the topic, hoping to provide fresh perspectives into gambling behaviours and ultimately, develop better policies for reducing gambling-related harm.
- Author
Olivia Cole
