The impact of a game’s characteristics on gambling behaviour

Abby McCormack and Professor Mark Griffiths of Nottingham University, UK, are currently conducting a survey to examine online gambling – both game characteristics and gambling behaviour. The survey is the third and final step in a large study. Below they present their work and give you a chance to support scientific gambling research.

The introduction of new media in which to gamble (e.g., Internet gambling, mobile phone gambling, interactive television gambling), has greatly increased the accessibility and popularity of gambling worldwide. Gambling research has become policy-relevant and is an area where more psychological research is greatly needed. We are currently being funded by the Responsible Gambling Fund to examine game characteristics in online games and how these impact on gambling behaviour. The overall aims of our three-year research programme are to establish: (i) what types of interactive gambling technology (IGT) currently exist, how are they located, accessed, and utilised by players, (ii) what the most important structural and situational characteristics of all forms of IGT are and how they impact (psychologically and socially) on gamblers’ lives, and (iii) what makes new and developing forms of IGT potentially problematic for a small minority of gamblers.

Our objective was to address these aims through three stages of linked research. This, we hope, will indicate which game characteristics are most important to gamblers, (e.g., online poker players may be very different to online slot machine players in terms of what is most attractive to them). The findings will not only be useful to gamblers and the gambling industry but may also help in the development of more socially responsible gambling practices.

Our project involves three large scale studies. These are (i) a scoping study of the structural and situational characteristics of internet gambling, (ii) in-depth interviews with gamblers, internet gamblers and non-gamblers to examine some of the motivating factors of online gambling behaviour as well as some of the inhibiting factors of engaging in online gambling, and (iii) an online survey of online gambling behaviour. The first two stages are now complete and have led to the development of further questions to be tested empirically in the final stage of the research (i.e., the online survey).

We now need to get data from as many internet gamblers as possible so that we can reach a better understanding for the causes and reasons for internet gambling, and how this compares to individuals who engage in offline gambling. It is possible that internet gambling sites offer players a range of distinct features that are unavailable in land-based venues and internet gambling may be used by a different population than land-based gambling. By completing this online survey (please click on the link below) your responses will be tremendously helpful in supporting scientific research into gambling. Your participation is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/KQ33Y5M

If you have any questions regarding the study in general or survey in particular:

Abby McCormack and Professor Mark Griffiths can be contacted at the International Gaming Research Unit, Nottingham Trent University, Burton Street, Nottingham, NG1 4BU, UK. Email: abby.mccormack@ntu.ac.uk or mark.griffiths@ntu.ac.uk

 

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