A study conducted by researchers in the U.K. and Australia has concluded that live-dealer table games are right behind slot in posing the most risk of problem gambling among iGaming offerings.
The study, which examined 100,000 online gaming players, was sponsored by Kindred Group. Its findings were published in the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction.
Titled “Behavioral Markers of Harm and Their Potential in Identifying Product Risk in Online Gambling,” the study examined six behaviors that previous studies had identified as marker of gambling-related harm:
- Continuing to check the site’s bonus page when no bonus is available;
- Gambling at unusual hours;
- Removing or easing responsible gambling restrictions;
- Depositing additional funds mid-session;
- Having deposits declined due to lack of funds; and,
- Having deposits declined by the payment provider.
According to a report on the bonus.com news site, the study used the Spearman correlation coefficient to measure the connection between types of gambling and markers of harm. A value of 0.0 would indicate no connection at all. Conversely, a value of 1.0 would mean that every gambler using a product exhibited the behavior at a higher rate than an equivalent gambler not using that product.
For all six risk markers, the strongest correlation was with slot use. The average across all six was a Spearman coefficient of 0.34. To put that in context, given the large sample size of the study, the researchers state that any coefficient greater than 0.01 is statistically significant.
“Slots are generally considered high-risk products because of their rapid event frequency, which is thought to increase the likelihood of chasing losses, impulsive decision-making and increase the cost of play per hour,” the report said.
“It is important to note that the potential risks of slots may not necessarily be borne out just by inspecting average expenditure… The entry price of these activities is generally low and… people may often spend more money on sports and other casino activities in single sessions. The issue with slots, however, is that slot play is more likely to transition from overall participation to regular participation than some other activities (a higher conversion rate).”
The results on slot play were not surprising to the researchers. However, what was a surprise was that live-dealer table games also demonstrated high risk exposure.
Live dealer table games had considerably higher risk correlation than their random-number-generator equivalents. That fact may be of interest to some U.S. lawmakers, such as those in Rhode Island who recently legalized live dealer online casino games but not their RNG equivalents.
Live-dealer roulette had a Spearman coefficient of 0.20, while other live dealer games (excluding blackjack) were even more strongly correlated at 0.21. These were just behind slots among casino products, and behind only one highly-specific type of sports betting.
