Evidence theme 2 - The range and variability of gambling experiences
Evidence theme 2 - The range and variability of gambling experiences
This theme is about:
- understanding the different experiences that people have with gambling – every gambler is different
- acknowledging how gambling fits into people’s lives and overlaps with other behaviours and experiences
- exploring consumer journeys and motivations
- how gambling habits and behaviours change over time.
Gambling participation figures estimate that up to 23 million people engaged in some form of gambling activity in the last four weeks. The majority of these people gamble without experiencing harms. Our research to understand why people gamble found that most people gamble to win money and that enjoyment is prevalent, but secondary to this.
Our role as a regulator is to license and regulate the gambling industry, and this includes a requirement to protect children and vulnerable people from being harmed by gambling. The focus of a large proportion of the research into gambling activities has been on those experiencing gambling-related harms, and the need for ongoing research in these areas is reflected in some of the other themes. Within this theme, we highlight the need to better understand the range of gambling experiences, including positive experiences of gambling.
Previous Commission research has identified gambling typologies and the Path to Play which helps to highlight the range of influences – but they also highlight that gambling experiences are not the same for all people. It is important to continue to build on this model to understand policy interventions at different steps along this path by hearing from a range of voices. We know that people move in and out of gambling-related harm (discussed further as part of the gateway products theme), but it may be helpful to know more about the range and variability of experiences, how they contribute to harmful gambling behaviours and any common indicators that could help others.
It is also valuable to understand the aspects of gambling that can be improved from a regulatory perspective, to ensure that gambling remains fair and open for everyone. This could include identification and consideration of the ‘average’ consumer, and their views and priorities on various topics, including – for example – their understanding of bonus offers and gambling products, and the role this plays in making informed choices.
There are a wide range of potential questions within this theme, and it’s likely that it will need a mixture of data sources to explore them, with qualitative research necessary to understand gambling experiences and quantitative research to better understand the scale of those experiences. Access to a wide range of anonymised datasets could offer the opportunity to see accurate play information and interaction between products within a gambling operator.
Example research questions within this theme
These are the type of questions that could be considered in relation to this theme:
- What do we know about the spectrum of gambling activity and what constitutes 'safe' gambling?
- How does gambling fit into a people's wider online activity or life?
- How and why do people’s gambling habits and behaviours change over time?
Progress made in year one
We published findings from two longitudinal studies completed as part of our Consumer Voice research programme, looking at changes in gambling behaviour during the 2022 football World Cup, and during a period of increasing cost of living.
Our collaboration with academics at Warwick Business School has started to use open banking data to explore consumer gambling spend over time and build a picture of how gambling fits into people’s lives.
Forward look
The Gambling Commission will release the first annual publication of the GSGB in July 2024, which will include findings on motivations for and enjoyment of gambling. We will also be assessing the feasibility and potential approaches to recontacting GSGB respondents to take part in longitudinal research
We are working on new research exploring the drivers of consumer trust and developing new survey questions to be added to the GSGB, allowing us to more effectively measure levels of trust in the gambling sector
We will be scoping new research exploring the consumer journeys and experiences of consumers who gamble in person, and how they choose to interact with both land-based and online gambling. New opportunities to look at real time data as well as self-reported data will bring greater insights.
Evidence theme 1 - Early gambling experiences and gateway products Next page
Evidence theme 3 - Gambling-related harms and vulnerability
Last updated: 11 July 2024
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