Recently, Poker News Daily became aware of a study by Caroline Jawad and Stephen Griffiths that sought to find ways to curb problem gambling on the internet. The authors are giving readers of Poker News Daily a sneak preview as to what they can expect from their research as well as a chance to participate. Poker News Daily sat down with Jawad to learn more about her University of Wales research. Click here to participate.
Poker News Daily: Tell us how your research became focused on internet gambling.
Jawad: Gambling has been a popular source of entertainment for many centuries across many cultures. The emergence of internet gambling has been one of the most significant and controversial developments over the past two decades. Though clearly economically substantial, little is factually known about this sector, its customers, and its social and economic impacts. Online poker and electronic video-poker machines have become increasingly popular in recent years and players have begun to compete in online poker rooms.
Television stations regularly broadcast poker tournaments and the game has received substantial media coverage. But while the explosion in online gambling and online poker popularity has brought fame and fortune to some, it has brought addiction to others.
PND: Tell us about your study. What does it seeking to investigate and what methods are involved?
Jawad: Internet gaming is an industry of tremendous growth. Revenue has increased from $30 million in 1994 and, according to a PriceWaterhouseCoopers study, worldwide legal gambling revenues are set to reach $100 billion by the end of the decade. Online gambling revenues represent approximately 4% of the total global gaming market (Centre for Policy Initiatives 2004). The number of sites has increased from 30 in 1994 to over 2,000 in 2005 (GamCare, 2006).
However, there are many concerns related to the growth of internet gambling. I am trying to determine attitudes and awareness of responsible gambling and problem gambling with the help of readers of Poker News Daily. The ideal method would involve contacting a random sample of customers, most likely through e-mail, and requesting their consent to participate in an online survey. Another option is to include a link on a gaming site that asks customers to participate in a research study. While tentative approaches have been made to individual sites, it is anticipated that with the assistance of organizations promoting responsible gambling, a gaming site will approve such a link.
PND: Have other studies been done that are similar to yours? What have they found?
Jawad: A review of 60 popular internet poker, casino, and sports-betting sites revealed wide variations in the extent and types of player protection strategies (Wiebe, 2006). Information ranged from as little as a statement of age limits or a link to Gamblers Anonymous to self-exclusion options, an on-site counselor, and opportunities for setting time, money, and loss limits (Jawad, 2006, Wiebe 2006).
The independent online gambling authority, eCogra, released the results of its survey of online gamblers from 100 different countries in 2008. According to the survey, the typical online casino player was most likely to be female (54.8%), aged between 46 and 55 years old (29.5%), play two to three times per week (37.0%), and wager around $50 per session (18.1%). The survey found out that while women tend to spend more time playing at the internet casinos, they spend less money than men, who play for shorter periods of time, but more money.
The top three things people want in an online casino are good bonuses (76.2%), variety of games (62.0%), and different depositing methods (56.8%). The average online poker player is more likely to be male (73.8%), between 26 and 35 years-old (26.9%), plays two to three times per week (26.8%), and feels that there is more skill involved than luck (31.9%).
The available research offers little insight into the extent and nature of problems associated with internet gambling and the effectiveness of player protection options. Most information is based on general population prevalence studies. There is a lack of research that has investigated features of responsible gambling and their effectiveness. What little has been done has been either inconclusive or has only found partial support for their effectiveness (Blaszczynski, Sharpe and Walker 2001; Loba et al 2002; Schellinck and Schrans, 2002).
What is clear is that further research is urgently needed to investigate the applicability and the general effectiveness of responsible gambling features. This needs to be done in ecologically valid settings with the help of the operators and other industry stakeholders rather than in psychology laboratories at academic institutions. Only then can competent conclusions be reached regarding their role in social responsibility in the remote gambling environment.
PND: What do you expect to find when you’re done? Are there any preliminary results?
Jawad: My review of internet gambling and responsible gambling literature found disproportionately fewer studies addressing the issues of responsible gambling features. However, it has been argued that research does indicate optimism for the development and implementation of responsible gambling or safety features for new gambling technology (Peller, LaPlante and Shaffer, 2007). Unfortunately, the methodology of this research has been basic and limited in scope (Peller, LaPlante, and Shaffer, under review).
It is suggested that the history of safety features for other industries is that they become safer as they evolve and mature (Peller, LaPlante and Shaffer, 2007). For example, the effectiveness of automobile safety features has improved dramatically over time (Armes, 2005; Hasbrook, 1956). Empirical research investigating the causes of passenger injuries has been essential to improving the engineering of automobiles (Green and Woodrooffe, 2006; Motao, Cummings, Haitao, and Cook, 2007; Shladover and Tan, 2006; Woodruff and Gregory, 2005). Ultimately, the creation of parameters that promote safer gambling for new technologies will need to involve collaboration between researchers, industry officials, and policymakers. Informally, research participants have indicated that responsible gambling features only work for recreational and not problem gamblers. My research hopes to clearly identify features that players believe would work.
PND: How will you use the data and how is it presented at the end of the study?
Jawad: The data submitted will be totally anonymous, recorded securely, and submitted to the University of Wales. I hope the conclusions of my study will offer evidence-based recommendations that may assist organizations in targeting and designing prevention and education services that aid at-risk and problem gamblers.
The study will use qualitative methods which result in textual or narrative information that is either descriptive or subject to other forms of analysis. Quantitative research questions, unlike their qualitative counterparts, tend to be very specific in nature. Even appropriately conducted qualitative methods can be highly invasive. My qualitative research questions emphasize deriving an understanding of how responsible gambling can be perceived and constructed.
PND: How can the results of your study help poker players in the future?
Jawad: Gambling is a compulsive and potentially addictive activity. Societies have traditionally sought to control it proactively. For the majority of Internet gamblers including poker players, they are buying entertainment and having fun. To date, the available research offers little insight into the extent and nature of problems associated with Internet gambling and the effectiveness of protection options in helping players control themselves. Most information is based on general population prevalence studies. There is a distinct of lack of research that has investigated features of responsible gambling and their efficacy. What little has been done has been either inconclusive or has only found partial support for their effectiveness. It is hoped that the results of this study will inform players who might be having problems with their gambling.
Check out Jawad’s internet gambling study.
