Report
Investigating the relationship between reasons for gambling and different gambling activities
This short report explores the reasons people give for taking part in gambling and how they relate to different gambling activities.
Reasons and activities
The 5 factors were entered into a series of regression models to identify how each of the 5 themes were associated with each of the 21 gambling activities undertaken in the past 4 weeks. Whilst the questions about reasons for taking part were not asked in respect to specific activities, it is reasonable to assume that the respondent is answering in relation to the activities they have more recently taken part in, hence the 4-week activity data has been used for this analysis.
However, it should be noted that many participants had taken part in more than one activity. Excluding National Lottery draws, around half the respondents who had spent money on gambling in the past 4 weeks had participated in more than one activity. A quarter had participated in 3 or more. This means the findings will be interpreted as ‘common reasons given for participation in gambling by individuals who have taken part in activity X’, with the caveat that they may also have participated in other activities alongside. It is possible that the relationships are weaker with activities that are likely to be participated in alongside other activities, as this would dilute the associations between reasons and activity.
The regressions1 were run with the 4-week frequency for a specific gambling activity as the outcome and the principal component scores as predictor variables representing the five motivation themes. Models were run using stepwise regression. This means any motivation themes that had a non-significant relationship with the activity (defined as having a p-value greater than 0.05) were removed from the model. The themes that remained in the model are therefore the ones which have a significant association with that specific activity. The direction and strength of this relationship is evidenced by the size and direction of the coefficient, a positive coefficient meant someone with those motivations for gambling was also more likely to do that specific activity, whereas a negative coefficient means someone who gave those motivations was less likely to have also done that specific activity. Although it should be noted that these are not causal associations – giving a specific reason does not result in participating in a specific activity, or vice versa.
Different groups of activities and their associated themes are presented in the following tables.
Draw based games
| Motivations for participating in The National Lottery draws and other charity lotteries (Regression coefficients) | National Lottery draw tickets - online | National Lottery draw tickets - in person | Other charity lotteries - online | Other charity lotteries – in person |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enhancement | 0.05 | 0.09 | Not significant | 0.03 |
| Coping and/or escape | 0.07 | 0.14 | 0.09 | 0.11 |
| Challenge | 0.05 | 0.11 | 0.11 | 0.11 |
| Social | −0.05 | 0.05 | Not significant | 0.03 |
| Money | 0.36 | 0.17 | 0.03 | Not significant |
Notes on table: Only coefficients with significant p-values are shown in the table. Cells with "not significant" indicate reasons for gambling were not significant in the stepwise model. Positive coefficients mean that people with these reasons for gambling were more likely to take part in the activity. Negative coefficients mean that people with these motivations were less likely to take part in the activity.
All motivation types were associated with taking part in the National Lottery draws, either in person or online, with money being the strongest reason for both. Interestingly, those who gambled for social reasons were less likely to purchase National Lottery tickets online, whereas the opposite was true for those who purchased National Lottery tickets in person.
Those who gambled for monetary reasons were not likely to purchase other charity lottery tickets in person. There was only a weak positive association between gambling for money reasons and the purchase of other charity lottery tickets online.
Scratchcards and online instant wins
| Motivations for participating in The National Lottery draws and other charity lotteries (Regression coefficients) | National Lottery Scratchcards | Other Scratchcards | National Lottery online instant wins | Other online instant wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enhancement | 0.13 | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.04 |
| Coping and/or escape | 0.13 | 0.14 | 0.10 | 0.18 |
| Challenge | 0.08 | 0.16 | 0.12 | 0.14 |
| Social | −0.07 | 0.10 | Not significant | Not significant |
| Money | 0.12 | 0.06 | 0.13 | 0.05 |
Notes on table: Only coefficients with significant p-values are shown in the table. Cells with "not significant" indicate reasons for gambling were not significant in the stepwise model. Positive coefficients mean that people with these reasons for gambling were more likely to take part in the activity. Negative coefficients mean that people with these motivations were less likely to take part in the activity.
All motivation types were associated with the purchase of National Lottery or other scratchcards. The strongest associations observed for enhancement and coping and or escapism were National Lottery scratchcards, whilst challenge had the strongest association for other scratchcards. The association of monetary reasons was stronger for National Lottery scratchcards than other scratchcards, possibly reflecting the size of potential winnings.
For online instant wins, both National Lottery and others, there was a different pattern. First, social reasons were not significantly associated with engagement in either type of online instant wins, suggesting social reasons for gambling are unrelated to participating in any form of online instant win. For National Lottery online instant wins, the strongest association was with gambling for monetary reasons whereas for other forms of online instant wins, it was gambling to cope or escape.
Betting on sports and racing and the outcomes of other events
| Motivations for betting on sports and racing and betting on the outcomes of other events (Regression coefficients) | Betting on sports and or racing online | Betting on sports and or racing in person | Betting on the outcomes of other events online | Betting on the outcomes of other events in person |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enhancement | 0.38 | Not significant | 0.04 | 0.03 |
| Coping and/or escape | 0.27 | 0.12 | 0.09 | 0.05 |
| Challenge | 0.08 | 0.16 | 0.13 | 0.10 |
| Social | −0.07 | Not significant | Not significant | Not significant |
| Money | 0.12 | 0.07 | 0.07 | Not significant |
Notes on table: Only coefficients with significant p-values are shown in the table. Cells with "not significant" indicate reasons for gambling were not significant in the stepwise model. Positive coefficients mean that people with these reasons for gambling were more likely to take part in the activity. Negative coefficients mean that people with these motivations were less likely to take part in the activity.
Associations between reasons for gambling and betting activities, either online or in person, were varied. Betting on sports and or racing online was most strongly associated with gambling for enhancement. However, gambling for enhancement was not significantly associated with betting on sports and or racing in person and was negatively associated with betting on the outcomes of other events, meaning that people who gambled for these reasons were less likely to bet on other events.
Gambling to cope and or escape was strongly associated with betting on sports and or racing online and was associated with gambling on other events, albeit with a weaker association. For those betting on sports and or racing in person, gambling for the challenge was the most strongly associated reason for gambling.
Notably, there was either no relationship between gambling for social reasons and participation in each of the betting types, and in the case of betting on sports and or racing online, there was a negative association, meaning that people who gambled for social reasons were less likely to bet on sports and or racing online.
With the exception of betting on the outcomes of other events in person, gambling for money was positively associated with each betting type, but it was not the strongest association observed.
Bingo
| Motivations for participating in bingo (regression coefficients) | Bingo online | Bingo in person |
|---|---|---|
| Enhancement | 0.07 | Not significant |
| Coping and/or escape | 0.23 | Not significant |
| Challenge | 0.06 | Not significant |
| Social | Not significant | 0.15 |
| Money | Not significant | Not significant |
Notes on table: Only coefficients with significant p-values are shown in the table. Cells with "not significant" indicate reasons for gambling were not significant in the stepwise model. Positive coefficients mean that people with these reasons for gambling were more likely to take part in the activity. Negative coefficients mean that people with these motivations were less likely to take part in the activity.
There were distinct differences between the reasons for participating in gambling given by people who participated in bingo online in the past 4 weeks and those who participated in person.
Social motivations for participating in gambling were the only significant reasons among those who participated in bingo in person, no other reasons were significant. This suggests that people who gamble for reasons other than social reasons were less likely to play bingo in person.
For online bingo, the strongest association was gambling to cope and or escape. Those who gamble for these reasons were significantly more likely to play bingo online. This was followed by enhancement and the challenge, although these associations were far weaker.
Monetary motivations were not significant in either model, suggesting that those whose main motivation is winning money do not participate in either form of bingo.
Casino games
| Motivations for participating in casino games (regression coefficients) | Casino games online | Casino games at a casino (in person) | Casino games at a machine/terminal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enhancement | Not significant | Not significant | Not significant |
| Coping and/or escape | 0.29 | 0.11 | 0.14 |
| Challenge | 0.15 | 0.18 | 0.15 |
| Social | Not significant | 0.07 | Not significant |
| Money | Not significant | Not significant | 0.13 |
Notes on table: Only coefficients with significant p-values are shown in the table. Cells with "not significant" indicate reasons for gambling were not significant in the stepwise model. Positive coefficients mean that people with these reasons for gambling were more likely to take part in the activity. Negative coefficients mean that people with these motivations were less likely to take part in the activity.
As with bingo, the motivations for gambling that were associated with participating in casino games in the past 4 weeks varied according to the form of casino game participation.
Coping and or escapism was the motivation that had the strongest significant association with participating in casino games online in the past 4 weeks. This was also significantly associated with participating in casino games in person (at a casino) and casino games at a machine, but that association was weaker.
Individuals who had given social reasons as a motivation for taking part in gambling were more likely to have also gambled on casino games in person (at a casino) in the past 4 weeks, but there was no association between social reasons and participating in casino games online or at a machine.
Correspondingly, those who gambled for monetary reasons were also more likely to have participated in casino games at a machine, but there was no association between monetary reasons and online or in person casino games (at a casino).
Casino games, in all modes of participation, were associated with people giving challenge and coping and or escapism as motivations for their gambling participation. However, the association between coping and or escapism and participation was stronger for online casino games than casino games in person (at a casino) or at a machine.
Enhancement was not significant in any casino game type, suggesting that gambling for enhancement reasons is not associated with casino gambling, the other motivations had stronger associations.
Fruit and Slots
| Motivations for participating in fruit and slots (regression coefficients) | Fruit and or slot machines online | Fruit and or slot machines in person |
|---|---|---|
| Enhancement | Not significant | Not significant |
| Coping and/or escape | 0.40 | 0.14 |
| Challenge | 0.09 | 0.07 |
| Social | −0.14 | Not significant |
| Money | 0.12 | 0.11 |
Notes on table: Only coefficients with significant p-values are shown in the table. Cells with "not significant" indicate reasons for gambling were not significant in the stepwise model. Positive coefficients mean that people with these reasons for gambling were more likely to take part in the activity. Negative coefficients mean that people with these motivations were less likely to take part in the activity.
As with bingo and casino, there were differences in the reasons for gambling between those who played fruit and or slot games online and those who played them in person. The main difference is the strength of the association between gambling to cope and or escape and playing fruit and or slot machines online. Those who gambled for reasons relating to coping and or escapism were far more likely to play fruit and or slot machines online. Whilst there was also an association between coping and or escapism and playing fruit and or slot machines in person, the association was not as strong.
Individuals who give social reasons for gambling are significantly less likely to have participated in online fruit and slot machines in the past 4 weeks. This implies people who gamble for social reasons or to spend time with friends and family are also less likely to engage with fruit and slot machines online. Social reasons are not significantly related to fruit and slot machines in person, implying this motivation is unrelated to participating in fruit and slot machines in person.
Enhancement was not significant in either model, suggesting this motivation for gambling is unrelated to participating in any form of fruit or slot machines.
For both, gambling for monetary reasons was positively associated with engagement but this was not the strongest association observed.
Other forms of gambling (football pools, private betting)
| Motivations for participating in the football pools and private betting (regression coefficients) | Football pools | Private betting |
|---|---|---|
| Enhancement | 1.22 | 1.13 |
| Coping and/or escape | 1.14 | Not significant |
| Challenge | 1.18 | Not significant |
| Social | Not significant | 1.43 |
| Money | 1.45 | Not significant |
Notes on table: Only coefficients with significant p-values are shown in the table. Cells with "not significant" indicate reasons for gambling were not significant in the stepwise model. Positive coefficients mean that people with these reasons for gambling were more likely to take part in the activity. Negative coefficients mean that people with these motivations were less likely to take part in the activity.
People who gambled for enhancement reasons were significantly more likely to engage in private betting or football pools. Perhaps unsurprisingly, those who gambled for social reasons were significantly more likely to engage in private betting also.
Aside from social reasons, the football pools was positively associated with all other reasons for gambling, with the strongest motivation being gambling for monetary reasons.
References
1All but 2 models used linear regression, with the frequency of taking part in that activity coded as: every day = 6, a few times a week = 5, about once a week = 4, about once a fortnight = 3, about once in the past 4 weeks = 2, not in the past 4 weeks = 1. The exceptions are football pools and private betting, these questions were asked as yes or no outcomes and use logistic regressions with the outcomes coded as 1 = yes, 0 = no. Coefficients are reported for linear regression models, odds ratios are reported for logistic regression models.
Reasons for gambling - Themes of the Reasons for Gambling questionnaire Next section
Reasons for gambling - Discussion
Last updated: 30 January 2025
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