An Investigation of the Duplication of Game Purchases between Regular and Pathological Gamblers

The purpose of this study was to explore the duplication of game purchases in regular and pathological gambling. A clearer understanding of the differences between regular and pathological gambling can aid public policy makers to better regulate the industry and reduce gambling’s negative social impacts. It may also help social marketers to devise more cost effective programs. Using the data collected by the Australian Productivity Commission, this study found that pathological gambling follows the Duplication of Purchase Law, which states that the dominant factor of purchase duplication between two brands is their market shares. Moreover, pathological gamblers were heavy gamblers who tend to gamble more intensively across multiple games compared to heavy regular gamblers.