Recent studies have identified both behavioral and normative risk factors associated with gambling problems among sports bettors. These include demographic characteristics such as age, gender, education level and occupation status.
Men are significantly more likely to gamble and chase losses (betting and increasing stakes in an attempt to recover losses) than women, which can lead to significant financial strain and distress.
Gender
Men are twice as likely to participate in gambling than women, due to differences in impulse control and risk-taking tendencies which could contribute to problem gambling. Young adult males could also have been socialized from an early age to take risks as part of masculinity which might make them more inclined to gambling and betting.
Betting can be an enjoyable form of gambling, yet can be potentially harmful for some individuals. Psychographic segmentation goes beyond traditional demographics to delve into user psychology and uncover core motivations behind decisions made when betting. With this information in hand, marketers can create campaigns that resonate more deeply with bettors to reduce gambling-related problems while simultaneously increasing effectiveness of ad placements; furthermore, psychographic segmentation allows us to forecast consumer reactions to changing gambling regulations or supply opportunities.
Age
Age may have an indirect influence on gambling habits, but psychographic segmentation allows gambling advertisers to go beyond demographics and understand user motivations more fully – this helps create targeted advertising messages with emotional resonance that are tailored specifically for each user. It is vitally important that psychographic segmentation be done ethically by first seeking user consent for data collection purposes.
Millennials and Gen Zers may be more willing to gamble than their parents were at similar ages; however, this doesn’t necessarily signal an increase in problem gambling. For instance, in Massachusetts – with its legal gambling age set at 21 – 30 percent of those surveyed said they placed at least one sports bet this year.
Recent research into sports bettors found they tended to be younger, male, full-time employed individuals compared to non-sports bettors. Furthermore, sports bettors showed different patterns of clinical comorbidities and greater substance abuse, in addition to having unique gambling motives and tendencies that make them impulsive spenders with less control over where their money goes.
Education
Betting players tend to be better educated than non-betters and enjoy higher household incomes, in addition to watching more sports than non-betters–an average of 9.18 hours every week–and owning computers more likely for digital gambling games such as roulette or slots.
Bettors are more likely to develop gambling addiction and be subjected to various patterns of clinical comorbidities and illicit substance abuse, and tend to spend both more time and money gambling than those who do not engage. They are also likely to be more impulsive when gambling and spend both more time and money gambling than non-betters.
Gambling has a devastating effect on academic performance, mental health and family life. A study by Sobrun-Maharaj and colleagues reported 18 gambling-related suicides across East African Community states due to financial losses from football betting (Kaggwa et al. 2022). Gambling’s detrimental impacts can cause financial stressors, strain relationships or family dissolution; to identify and mitigate their harmful consequences it requires collaboration among educational institutions, policymakers and families.
Occupation
The rapid proliferation of sports betting across the US has coincided with an upsurge in gambling-related issues, putting vulnerable individuals under strain. Therefore, understanding bettors’ core demographics in order to effectively address this issue.
Studies have identified strong associations between certain socio-demographic variables on one hand, and gambling participation, ARPG and problem gambling (PG) on the other. It should be noted, however, that there can be distinct variations among occupational groups.
Workers engaged in monotonous manual indoor work are at increased risk of gambling disorders. This category of employees includes construction workers, vehicle drivers and others engaged in repetitive tasks who might chase losses and put their finances and mental health under strain – particularly men versus women when it comes to this behavior – making it all the more essential to provide accessible support and resources for those struggling with gambling-related problems.