UKGC publishes data on why people gamble and their experiences & attitudes towards free bets and bonuses

In the last couple of days, the Gambling Commission has published:

We comment below on each in turn.


1. Free bets and bonuses

The Commission has explained that the purpose of this data was “to improve understanding of consumers’ experiences of receiving free bets and bonus offers from gambling companies, including their attitudes towards them and the impact they have on behaviour”.

Key facts arising from the data are:

  1. Over two thirds of gamblers had received some form of incentive in the last 12 months, with the most common being free bets/spins and sign up offers, and the most common way of receiving them being through email.
  2. Among those that had received incentives in the last 12 months, almost three quarters had received them for online betting (73%).
  3. Most respondents felt that their gambling is not influenced by receiving incentives (61%), however 31% of respondents agreed that receiving free bets/bonus offers encouraged them to gamble more than they wanted to.
The Commission’s data on consumer experiences and attitudes to free bets & bonuses is set out below (and can also be accessed on its website here).

Consumer experiences and attitudes to Free Bets & Bonuses

Introduction and about the Online Survey

The Commission collects in depth data from online gamblers about their online gambling behaviour via a quarterly online tracker, conducted by Yonder Consulting as part of their online omnibus. Data is collected on c.8,000 adults aged 18+ in Great Britain per year1. The online survey sample is sourced through Yonder’s panel, and the sample is subject to quotas in-line with those used for the Commission’s quarterly telephone survey. The variables used for weighting are age, gender, region, social grade, tenure and working status2.

In June 2021 we posed questions to gamblers on the survey to learn more about the prevalence and impact of free bets and bonus offers (‘incentives’). The questions asked gamblers to recall the types of incentives received, as well as the frequency and volume with which they were received. In addition, those who had received incentives were asked about the impact of receiving incentives on their gambling behaviour.

Incentive types & how they are received

Gamblers in the survey were first asked whether they had received an incentive to gamble from a gambling company in the last 12 months. They were asked which type of incentive they had received, and how it was received.

Figure 1

QIncentiveHow. We are interested in finding out whether you have received incentives to gamble from a gambling company in the last 12 months. Which, if any, of the following types of gambling incentive have you been sent from a gambling company, and how was it sent to you?

Figure 1

Data from chart

  • NET received an incentive – 65%
  • free bets/spins – 58%
  • sign up offers – 54%
  • reminders to gamble with a bonus included – 41%
  • other – 19%.

Base: n=c.1500 Respondents aged 18+ who have gambled in the past 12 months.

Figure 2

QIncentiveHow. We are interested in finding out whether you have received incentives to gamble from a gambling company in the last 12 months. Which, if any, of the following types of gambling incentive have you been sent from a gambling company, and how was it sent to you?

Figure 2

Data from chart

  • NET received an incentive – 65%
  • email – 47%
  • text message – 17%
  • gambling app notifiction – 16%
  • non-gambling app notification – 8%
  • targeted advertisement on social media – 21%
  • targeted advertisement on a search engine (e.g. Google or Bing) – 15%.

Base: n=c.1500 Respondents aged 18+ who have gambled in the past 12 months

Incentives were mostly received via email (47%), with this being more commonly recalled than any other method. Gamblers were least likely to report receiving an incentive through a non-gambling app notification (8%).

Incentives received for different gambling activities

Respondents who had reported receiving an incentive to gamble were also asked which activity they received the incentive for.

Figure 3

QIncentiveAct. You mentioned that you have been offered incentives to play on a gambling activity. Which of the following activities have you been sent incentives for in the last 12 months?

Figure 3 A bar chart showing which of the activities consumers have received incentives for in the past 12 months

Data from chart

  • online betting – 73%
  • online slots – 39%
  • online bingo – 37%
  • online casino (excluding slots) – 30%
  • The National Lottery (including draws, scratchcards or instant win games) – 23%
  • charity lottery of other lottery (including draws, scratchcards, or instant win games) – 15%
  • in person betting – 6%
  • in person slots – 4%
  • in person bingo – 3%
  • in person casino (excluding slots) – 1%
  • other – 1%.

Respondents who reported receiving an incentive were most likely to report receiving them for online betting activities (73%), with other online activities such as slots (39%), bingo (37%) and casino (30%) being most frequently incentivized after that.

On average, across all activities, respondents reported receiving seven incentives to gamble within the last seven days. The activities which consumers received the highest quantity of incentives for were online slots, online casino and the National Lottery.

Frequency of incentives received

Following this, respondents who had received incentives in certain ways were asked how often they receive incentives through that particular medium.

Figure 4

QIncentiveFreq. How often have you received incentives or offers to play through the following methods?

Figure 4

Data from chart

Email Text message A notification through a gambling app A targeted advertisement on social media
Daily 7% 8% 9% 8%
NET: at least once a week 51% 58% 58% 54%
NET: at least once a month 84% 85% 88% 86%
Base size 696 249 233 295

Across each platform, the frequency of receiving incentives appears to be stable. Most respondents (between 84-88%) report receiving an incentive at least once a month.

Figure 5

QIncentiveFreq. How often have you received incentives or offers to play through the following methods? Proportion reporting receiving incentives daily.

Figure 5 - A chart showing how often consumers received incentives or offers to play through the listed methods

Data from chart

Total Male Female 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+ Non-problem gambler Low risk gambler Moderate risk gambler Problem gambler
Receive incentive daily 10% 8% 12% 8% 16% 11% 9% 7% 2% 4% 7% 7% 35%
Base size 879` 464 415 108 184 173 185 110 119 467 162 121 129

Base: n=879 Past 12-month gamblers aged 18+ who report receiving incentives via email, text message, a notification through a gambling app or a targeted advertisement on social media.

It can be seen in Figure 5 that problem gamblers were by far most likely to report receiving incentives to gamble daily (35%).

Attitudes to incentives

Lastly, gamblers who had received an incentive to gamble were asked to rate their agreement with a number of statements relating to attitudes and impact of gambling incentives.

Figure 6.

QIncentiveImpact. The following are a series of statements which relate to gambling incentives. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with each one.

Figure 6 relating to QIncentiveImpact. Below are a series of statements which relate to gambling incentives. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with each one.

Data from chart

NET Agree Neither agree or disagree NET Disagree
Free bets/bonus encourage me to gamble more than I want to 31% 17% 50%
Free bets/ bonuses don’t change the amount I gamble 61% 15% 21%
I gambled for the first time as a result of receiving a bonus offer 28% 11% 59%
I gambled with a gambling company I haven’t used before as a result of receiving a bonus offer 35% 11% 51%
I started to gamble on a new activity as a result of receiving a bonus offer 28% 13% 57%
I restarted gambling after taking a break as a result of receiving a bonus offer 21% 14% 63%
I use free offers, but don’t spend any more on gambling 37% 17% 44%

Base: n=958 past 12-month gamblers aged 18+ who have received an incentive to gamble

Most respondents felt that their gambling was not influenced by receiving incentives (61%). However, 31% of respondents agreed that receiving free bets or bonus offers encouraged them to gamble more than they wanted to.

Figure 7

QIncentiveImpact. The following are a series of statements which relate to gambling incentives. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with each one.

Figure 7 A graph displaying the results from the following question:  The following are a series of statements which relate to gambling incentives. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with each one.

Data from chart

Net agree Neither agree or disagree Net disagree
I like receiving free bets/bonus offers to gamble 39% 18% 41%
I receive too many incentives to gamble 47% 22% 27%
I would prefer not to receive free bets and bonus offers 48% 18% 31%

Base: n=958 past 12 month gamblers aged 18+ who have received an incentive to gamble.

Incentives appeared to be liked and disliked by consumers in equal proportions, with 39% agreeing and 41% disagreeing with the statement ‘I like receiving free bets/bonus offers to gamble’. Almost half of consumers (47%) feel they receive too many incentives to gamble, and 48% agree that they would prefer not to receive them.

Impact Statements by Demographic

This section of analysis outlines NET Agree responses to ‘Attitudes to Incentives’ broken down by age, gender and PGSI status.

Net agree Total Male Female 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+ Non problem gambler Low risk gambler Moderate risk gambler Problem gambler
I like receiving free bets/bonus offers to gamble 39% 45% 32% 52% 53% 54% 36% 21% 16% 30% 37% 58% 62%
I receive too many incentives to gamble 47% 46% 49% 53% 34% 50% 47% 55% 52% 45% 42% 46% 63%
Free bets/bonus encourage me to gamble more than I want to 31% 31% 30% 39% 46% 39% 27% 19% 8% 14% 26% 57% 77%
Free bets/bonuses don’t change the amount I gamble 61% 65% 56% 54% 50% 59% 61% 70% 76% 71% 56% 45% 45%
I gambled for the first time as a result of receiving a bonus offe 28% 24% 33% 41% 45% 35% 24% 11% 9% 15% 28% 41% 65%
I gambled with a gambling company I haven’t used before as a result of receiving a bonus offer 35% 39% 31% 51% 49% 48% 30% 19% 11% 23% 33% 59% 64%
I started to gamble on a new activity as a result of receiving a bonus offer 28% 30% 25% 39% 43% 36% 29% 9% 4% 12% 26% 51% 67%
I restarted gambling after taking a break as a result of receiving a bonus offer 21% 21% 21% 35% 32% 26% 18% 9% 5% 9% 20% 39% 53%
I use free offers, but don’t spend any more on gambling 37% 37% 36% 48% 49% 40% 31% 25% 24% 35% 38% 36% 42%
I would prefer not to receive free bets and bonus offers 48% 43% 55% 40% 37% 37% 47% 66% 70% 54% 43% 33% 48%
Base Size 958 504 454 112 191 182 197 133 143 523 178 124 133

With regard to problem gamblers, the data suggests that they generally like receiving free bets and bonus offers, with 62% agreeing. Nevertheless, they were most likely to agree that incentives encourage them to gamble more than they want to (77%), and were least likely to agree that incentives don’t change the amount they gamble (45%).

Those in younger age groups (aged 18-44) appear to follow a somewhat similar pattern. They are more likely to agree that they like receiving free bets/bonus offers compared to those aged 45+. Those aged 25-34 are most likely (compared to other age groups) to agree that free bets/bonus offers encourage them to gamble more than they want to (46%), shortly followed by 18-24 year olds and 35-44 year olds (both 39%).


2. Why people gamble

This data explores people’s motivations for gambling, how and where they gamble, and how they want operators to interact with them.

Key facts arising from the data are:

  1. Overall, gambling represents just another activity for normal playing audiences, however, it’s common for gamblers to have a skewed view of ‘normal’ behaviour, often under-estimating the extent of their activity
  2. Reward was the primary reason for gambling – enjoyment and fun were also drivers, but motivators can vary depending on the situation and activity
  3. Everyone held an underlying intention to gamble responsibly, but the impact of this does fluctuate with one in seven recognising that they have had a ‘gamble binge’
  4. Mobile technology has enabled low friction gambling to happen easily and conveniently at any time, meaning that ‘binge’ behaviour can now also happen at any time
  5. Consumers spoke of how gambling habits can intersect with sport (particularly football), that watching sport can be a major trigger to bet
  6. The research found that there is little desire for active intervention from operators – more passive messaging and touchpoints are preferred
  7. In terms of interventions, there is not a ‘one size fits all’ approach. By understanding players in more detail, it can be understand which interventions are preferred by which types of players.

The Commission provides the following additional information (together with links to the relevant data) on its website here:

Part 1 – Understanding why people gamble and creating gambling typologies

Normalisation of gambling

Peoples early engagement or exposure with gambling or gambling-style activities start through-out childhood and early adulthood, and in most instances aligned with a familiar set of life events or milestones.

This has helped to “normalise” gambling to the point that gambling represents just another activity for normal playing audiences, however it’s common for gamblers to have a skewed view of ‘normal’ behaviour, often under-estimating the extent of their activity.

The research found that people see problem gambling as being a binary category that they do not fit into, with it often being others that need help. Only 13% of respondents thought that they gambled more than most, showing that the majority of respondents think they gamble the same or less than others. What is more concerning, is that 27% of problem gamblers and 57% of moderate risk gamblers believe their gambling activity to be average or less than others.

Understanding how different players decide what is ‘normal’ in terms of gambling is a key consideration for communicating with these audiences, bearing in mind that many overestimate what is normal.

Motivations to gamble

Reward was the primary factor to gambling – enjoyment and fun were also drivers, but motivators can vary depending on the situation and activity.

The eight typologies of gambling behaviours

The research created eight typologies which reflect the attitude and motivations towards a certain gambling occasion. The typologies apply to gambling occasions, not people and therefore one person could fall into different typologies in different situations.

 A graphic showing the eight gambling typologies, with animated figures demonstrating these typologies

The eight typologies of gambling behaviours are:

  • Social play: Gambling is something my friends and I love doing together, whether it’s having a friendly competition, adding more excitement to an event, or just for a bit of fun
  • Wise decision: Gambling is a matter of skill and I’m confident in my ability to get it right, which is why I enjoy turning events into another opportunity to test my skills
  • Me time: I love to play and indulge in a little ‘me time’, with the added reward of knowing I will probably come out lucky
  • Just what I do: Gambling is just something I’ve been doing for a while, and I enjoy it as a little treat, regardless of whether I win or not
  • Along for the ride: Gambling isn’t something I’m particularly interested in, it’s just a way I get to enjoy being with others, even if it means I will possibly end up out of pocket
  • Money to burn: I’m just using up some leftover credit on a bit of a whim – nothing to lose!
  • Feeling lucky: Sometimes those lucky chances come my way and I can’t help but take a gamble, especially if it gives me an opportunity to prove myself
  • For the money: I don’t put much thought into gambling, I just like the idea of winning big even if it is a long shot.

Part 2 – Hot-states and binge gambling

Hot/cold states and binge gambling

The research found that gambling behaviour can vary between a “cold state” where choices and play are considered and is based on previous experience to a “hot state” where behaviour and play can fluctuate. It is in this hot state, that people can sometimes experience an out of the ordinary “gambling binge”.

People understood both the terminology of “binge” gambling and when either themselves or others, have been in that moment. Everyone held an underlying intention to gamble responsibly, but the impact of this does fluctuate with one in seven recognising having had a ‘gambling binge’.​

Messaging

There’s little desire amongst consumers for active intervention by operators – more passive messaging and touchpoints are preferred. However, the research found that casual gamblers can be tempted by a well-placed message i.e., via a promotion – triggering out-of-the-ordinary hot state play (creating the potential for binge behaviour).

This insight into gambling behaviour can help operators to reflect on the communications used and when they are used, as even well-placed messages, can still trigger hot state behaviour and potentially binge style play in some players.

In terms of interventions there is not a ‘one size fits all’ approach. By understanding players in more detail, we can understand which interventions are preferred by which types of players.

Part 3 – Gambling activities and locations

Activities and locations of gambling

Mobile technology has enabled ‘low friction’ gambling to happen easily and conveniently at any time meaning that ‘binge’ behaviour can now happen at any time. Mobile gambling has enabled the transformation of traditional ‘destination gambling’ (like football & bingo) to function in a similar way to instant win games in terms of ease/convenience of play.