Conceptualisation of gambling risks and benefits: A socio-cultural study of 100 Victorian gamblers

RIS ID

78615

Publication Details

S. Thomas & S. Lewis (2012). Conceptualisation of gambling risks and benefits: A socio-cultural study of 100 Victorian gamblers. Melbourne: Corrections Victoria.

Abstract

This is a report prepared for the Office of Gaming and Racing, Department of Justice, Victoria, 22 May 2012. The gambling industry has diversified its gambling products so that it can target and engage many different sectors of the community and increasingly broaden its player base. Only limited research has explored the ways in which individuals conceptualise, and respond to, gambling marketing strategies. In Victoria, Australia, semi-structured, qualitative interviews were conducted with 100 adults who had gambled at least once during the previous year. Participants described the multi-layered ways in which gambling was marketed to them, and expressed their concerns about the role of marketing in "normalising" gambling for some groups. Male participants felt "bombarded" and "targeted" by the gambling industry's marketing strategies, and female and older male participants actively resisted them. Older women, younger men, moderate and high-risk gamblers, and those from low socio-economic backgrounds were particularly influenced by incentivisation schemes. This study highlights the complex ways in which different individuals interpret and respond to the marketing strategies of the gambling industry.

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