Online gaming study

There’s a new study on online gambling, and the authors think that playing online should be regulated. From the LV Sun:

Gamblers in the UNLV study weren’t asked about gambling addiction, but rather what gambling meant to them and what motivated them to gamble online versus in bricks-and-mortar casinos. Researchers asked gamblers, 20 of whom primarily visited casinos and 10 of whom mostly gambled online, to create visual collages representing their feelings about gambling.

Alice, to illustrate how she felt about gambling online, showed a cartoon character fighting off a pack of bulldogs.

The study comes as the debate heats up around Internet gambling, which is the focus of at least five bills circulating through Congress.

The study doesn’t conveniently serve arguments for or against legalization of online gambling and therefore is unlikely to register in the debate. But it does offer a glimpse into an activity that is growing in popularity and is little understood by many involved in the debate.
Players in the political debate interpreted the study in contradictory ways.
Dressing down: Web gambling’s hallmark – Las Vegas Sun

I’m not so sure about this “visual collage” thing. It’s not the sort of thing I’d expect an adult to do. In fact, I’m pretty sure that if I was talking to someone and asked them to describe how they felt by selecting a cartoon, they would whack me in the head pretty hard. Maybe I should broaden my range of acquaintances.

The thing about gambling online is that it’s still just gambling. Sure, there are differences. But there are probably differences in how consumers relate to restricted slot locations (the bars, gas stations, and markets w/ 15 or fewer games) and major casinos. As I said yesterday (when I was talking about owner/investors) some people will win, some will lose. I would say that some are born to sing the blues, but I’d rather select a cartoon to tell you my mood than quote a Journey song here. The only problem is, they play it so often on the radio that I’ll never be able to forget it. Can we do a study on that?

Spread the love