Understanding why people gamble

We have previously reported on in-depth qualitative research commissioned by the Gambling Commission to better understand how gambling fits into people’s lives.

The Commission has now published the second in a series of blogs that it intends should “encourage interested parties to consider and discuss the fresh perspectives offered … and create conversation about how future developments in the gambling industry can deliver fairer and safer gambling”.

Entitled “Understanding why people gamble”, this second blog (that can be downloaded below) takes a deeper look at gambling typologies, what they are and how they affect the decisions people make. The Commission says that “rather than focusing on demographic characteristics or different sectors of gambling, typologies allow us to zero in on the triggers that are at play, when individuals choose to gamble – leading to a more informed set of factors for us to consider in our regulation”.

The Commission goes on to explain these typologies as follows:

Using a framework of features, the research identified eight different types of drivers that help us to better understand the reality of ‘in the moment’ decisions to gamble. These fall under four key themes: passionate play, social play, habitual play and spontaneous play.

Passionate play 

  • Joy of the game – Game enjoyment, play enhancement
  • Wise choice – ‘Skilled play’, informed play, hot tip 

Social 

  • For the banter – Competitive play, friendly wager
  • To be social – Collaborative play, playing along

Habitual 

  • Passing the time – ‘Me’ time, killing time, prolonging play 
  • Just what I do – Long term habit, regular treat, subscription bet 

Spontaneous 

  • For the thrill of it – Feeling lucky, on a roll, stars aligned
  • Money to burn – Gambling winnings, spare change

More detail on each of the eight typologies is provided by the Gambling Commission on a separate webpage entitled “Gambling typologies” (that can also be downloaded below).

Download article PDF: GC - Gambling typologies