British Gambling Prevalence Survey 2007: qualitative follow-up
This research was commissioned by the Gambling Commission and
undertaken by NatCen. The researchers
conducted in-depth follow-up interviews with 43 participants from
the
British Gambling Prevalence Survey 2007 (BGPS 2007) in
the summer of 2008. The respondents were selected on the
basis of their responses to the problem gambling screens
administered at the time of the BGPS 2007, with 15 non-problem
gamblers, 17 at-risk gamblers, and 11 problem gamblers being
recruited to the study.
This was an exploratory study, the aims of which were to:
- provide further insight into participants' gambling behaviour,
exploring how and when the participants gamble, and what they enjoy
about it
- where relevant, to explore the downsides of gambling, and where
problem gambling behaviour is currently (or has been) an issue for
participants, to investigate the causes and associated
factors.
The full report can be found at:
Qualitative follow-up of the British Gambling Prevalence Survey
2007
BGPS 2007 Qualitative follow-up study - Appendix
Key findings
The study aimed to identify the range of factors affecting
people's experiences of gambling; their choice of location or form
of gambling; to map the range of factors that affect how much
people spend on gambling; to identify the range of pathways that
lead into and out of problem gambling, and the impact of problem
gambling on people's lives. The main findings of this piece
of research are outlined below.
The report presented the findings of an in-depth exploration of
the views and experiences of a sub sample of the BGPS 2007. Based
on their own descriptions of their gambling behaviour and
orientation, four types of gambler were identified by this study:
‘peripheral gambler'; ‘gambling enthusiast'; business gambler', and
‘compulsive gambler'.
The categories identified fit with the view that people's
engagement in gambling exists along a spectrum, rather than fitting
into the simple categories of non-problem and problem gambling.
Within each category there was a diversity of engagement. For
example, in the compulsive category there were people who described
gambling taking over their lives, whereas others talked about only
experiencing feelings of compulsion towards one form of gambling or
reported that they were able to exert some control over their
gambling behaviour despite the feelings of compulsion.
It is important to note that the categories of gambler were
dynamic rather than static. People described moving in and out of
the categories at different points in their lives, including those
who described themselves as feeling ‘compelled' to gamble at some
point.
The most salient theme in terms of factors influencing people's
experiences of gambling was the interaction between personal
factors and social context. Social and personal factors were also
described as playing a role in both triggering and facilitating a
move either into, or out of, compulsive gambling behaviour.
The study explored both the positive and negative impacts of
gambling. Gambling was seen as a fun, social, activity by
some, and winning (particularly where it was felt to be the result
of skill) led to an increased sense of self-confidence.
Participants who had limited contact with gambling, for example
occasionally playing the lottery and enjoyed the fact that it
allowed them to ‘dream' about what they would do with the
money. These participants did not, however, always define
these activities as gambling, the definition being primarily based
on the amounts they gambled.
Page last reviewed: April 2011