A study of 1,512 gamblers presented to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) says players could benefit from knowing more about the games they play, including their chances of winning.
The MGC commissioned the online study by the Canadian consulting company Gamres. It found that Bay State residents generally have the same understanding of gaming and responsible gaming as those in the other U.S. states, but less so than residents of their neighbor to the north.
Psychologist Dr. Richard Wood presented the findings to the panel. Those surveyed had all gambled in the last year, and about half had done so at one of three Massachusetts casinos.
Wood came up with “positive play scores” based on personal responsibility, gambling literacy, honesty, control and pre-commitment. About 77 percent of participants scored well on personal responsibility, which means they understand they should only play with money they can afford to lose. Seventeen percent needed improvement and 6 percent scored low on personal responsibility.
Players also scored positively on honesty and control, knowing when to fold ’em and stop playing.
However, only 37.5 percent scored high in the category of gambling literacy, with 34.4 percent in the medium range and 28.1 percent in the low range.
On precommitment, i.e., having a plan before going into a casino and following it, 58 percent scored high, 28 percent in the middle and 14 percent ranked low.
Wood commented, “Straightaway, we can see that gambling literacy and pre-commitment certainly are areas that would benefit from a little bit more focus going forward.”
He noted that the more years someone has invested in playing the better his or her scores are. He told the commission: “We can speculate that as players gamble over time they get more experienced, they learn more about the games and get more exposed to responsible gambling initiatives. And, of course, being young is more of a time, in general, for risk-taking.”
Wood added, “I think it shows us that having a focus on younger players and using media that would appeal to those players could be a useful way to focus responsible gambling strategy going forward.”
