Differences between Gamblers and Non-Gamblers on Sports Betting Websites

Abstract

Online sports gambling is a popular recreational activity. Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour as the theoretical foundation, the aim of this study was to examine for differences between gamblers and non-gamblers in terms of their attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control towards online sports gambling. 173 male students from a tertiary educational institution were recruited for this study of which 56 respondents (32%) were gamblers. A series of regression analysis revealed differences between gamblers and non-gamblers. While subjective norms and perceived behavioural control were significant predictors of gambling intentions for the gamblers group, only attitude was a significant predictor for the non-gamblers group. Further analysis showed that subjective norms had a larger effect on the gamblers group in comparison to the non-gamblers group. Physiological data from an eye tracker provided further empirical evidence that there were differences between gamblers and non-gamblers.Gamblers, perhaps because they are more familiar with gambling websites, take less time to process information. The findings from this study suggests that there are differences between gamblers and non-gamblers. To prevent problem gambling, there is a need to develop different communication messages for gamblers and non-gamblers.

The effect of articulation in sports posters on betting behavior

“…Specifically, the Perceived Sincerity Scale was adapted from Speed and Thompson (2000) (four items). The congruence construct (perceived fit) sponsorship scale was adapted from Dreisbach et al ( 2021) (three items), the gambling attitude (five items) and bet intention (three items) scales were adapted from Leng et al (2021), and the attitudes towards the sponsor's brand scale from Na and Kim (2013) (three items). A 5-point Likert scale was used to measure the independent variables.…”

“…According to Gwinner and Eaton (1999), there are two forms of congruence: functional and image. Sponsors of betting brands do not have functional congruence but may have image congruence, as sports betting is becoming popular and recreational in many countries (Leng et al, 2021). Therefore, we will examine whether the perceived congruence of betting brands influences consumer behavior, but we will also compare the consumer choice process when the brand is eminently congruent.…”

“…Type of sponsor. The most recent research in the area regarding the influence of CGPs as sports sponsors has been conducted by contrasting the behavior of bettors versus non-gamblers (Leng et al, 2021), the attention received from warning messages (Lole et al, 2019) and the influence of advertising on recall and attitude towards gambling (Nyemcsok et al, 2018). However, significant differences between the effects of CGPs sponsorship on fan behavior and conventional sponsorship have not been compared.…”

“…This brand is wise. Congruence (Dreisbach et al, 2018) Please evaluate the connection between [brand] and [event]: Dissimilar… similar Not complementary… complementary Low fit… high fit Bet intention (Leng et al, 2021) I often bet on sports events. How likely is it that you will gamble on the next sporting event?…”

“…Therefore, the effect of sports sponsorship on gambling behavior requires further research and investigation. Several studies, including the most recent, have examined how marketing strategies influence gambling attitudes and behavior (Deans et al, 2017;Derevensky et al, 2010;Leng et al, 2021).…”