Women’s gambling behaviour, product preferences, and perceptions of product harm: differences by age and gambling risk status

Abstract

BackgroundWomen’s participation in, and harm from gambling, is steadily increasing. There has been very limited research to investigate how gambling behaviour, product preferences, and perceptions of gambling harm may vary across subgroups of women.MethodsThis study surveyed a convenience sample of 509 women from Victoria and New South Wales, Australia. Women were asked a range of questions about their socio-demographic characteristics and gambling behaviour. Focusing on four gambling products in Australia—casino gambling, electronic gambling machines (EGMs), horse betting, and sports betting—women were asked about their frequency of participation, their product preferences, and perceptions of product harms. The sample was segmented a priori according to age and gambling risk status, and differences between groups were identified using Chi-square tests and ANOVAs. Thematic analysis was used to interpret qualitative data.ResultsAlmost two thirds (n = 324, 63.7%) of women had engaged with one of the four products in the previous 12 months. Compared to other age groups, younger women aged 16–34 years exhibited a higher proportion of problem gambling, gambled more frequently, and across more products. While EGMs were the product gambled on most frequently by women overall, younger women were significantly more likely to bet on sports and gamble at casinos relative to older women. Qualitative data indicated that younger women engaged with gambling products as part of a “night out”, “with friends”, due to their “ease of access” and perceived “chance of winning big”. There were significant differences in the perceptions of the harms associated with horse and sports betting according to age and gambling risk status, with younger women and gamblers perceiving these products as less harmful.ConclusionsThis study highlights that there are clear differences in the gambling behaviour, product preferences, and perceptions of product harms between subgroups of women. A gendered approach will enable public health researchers and policymakers to ensure that the unique factors associated with women’s gambling are taken into consideration in a comprehensive public health approach to reducing and preventing gambling harm.

Trends in gambling participation and gambling severity among Finnish men and women: cross-sectional population surveys in 2007, 2010 and 2015

“…In the future it is important to closely monitor specific game types (ie, EGMs) that are linked with problematic gambling and harms 10 11 42 and are typically gambled at a high intensity, 6 not forgetting the gender aspect, as suggested by McCarthy and colleagues. 13 …”

“… 3 There are also game type-specific perceptions of product harm across subgroups of women that have been addressed in recent studies. 13 It has also been reported that some types of gambling venues were previously perceived as unattractive and stigmatising for women, 1 but recently this has been changing with the development of modern venues and particularly the growth of online gambling, which have afforded greater anonymity and privacy. 14 It seems that online gambling participation is increasing more rapidly among women than men, 14 and that the risks of problem gambling for women in particular are greater than anticipated earlier.…”

Effects of nicotine exposure and anxiety on motivation for reward and gambling-like cues under reward uncertainty.

“…In addition, evidence suggests that female Sprague-Dawley rats tend to acquire sign-tracking to a cue slightly faster than males (Pitchers et al, 2015). Together, these results could explain why a larger proportion of women tend to engage in slot machine gambling, where cues play a prominent role in the maintenance of gambling behavior (Dow Schüll, 2012;McCarthy et al, 2018). Surprisingly, nicotine did not appear to enhance cue-triggered behaviors when administered under conditions of reward uncertainty across males and females combined.…”

Exploring children's experiences in community gambling venues: A qualitative study with children aged 6‐16 in regional New South Wales

“…While this definition provides an important step forward in conceptually understanding the factors that may contribute to the normalisation of gambling activities and products, there has been very limited research investigating how factors within gambling venues may shape or normalise (i) gambling attitudes and behaviours and (ii) the socio‐cultural acceptance of harmful gambling products within community settings . For example, research with adults has identified that increased access to, and availability of, gambling venues within local communities influences gambling behaviours, and that non‐gambling activities may soften the perceptions of risk associated with gambling products within these venues .…”

“…6(p53-54) While this definition provides an important step forward in conceptually understanding the factors that may contribute to the normalisation of gambling activities and products, there has been very limited research investigating how factors within gambling venues may shape or normalise (i) gambling attitudes and behaviours and (ii) the sociocultural acceptance of harmful gambling products within community settings. 7,8 For example, research with adults has identified that increased access to, and availability of, gambling venues within local communities influences gambling behaviours, 9 and that non-gambling activities may soften the perceptions of risk associated with gambling products within these venues. 10,11 Other recent research indicates that while adults who attend community gambling venues primarily attended for non-gambling reasons (eg cheap meals), many of these individuals also reported using gambling products located in the venue, including electronic gambling machines (EGMs), 12 which is associated with increased gambling harm.…”