Dr. Sally Gainsbury and Southern Cross University are well-known for their problem gambling research. The educational institution aims to gain a better understanding of the reasons that cause compulsive gambling. In Southern Cross University’s latest study, Dr. Gainsbury aims to learn more about how social media can influence player’s gaming habits. According to the study’s abstract, over 13 million Australians use Facebook.
Since many online casino operators are now using the social media platform for marketing purposes, it is important to understand how exactly social media is changing the way that players gamble and spend money at online gambling websites. Social gambling also comes into play. Around the world, there are 173 million social casino players, and that number grows by over 20% every year.
This could be a new gateway through which social gamers are exposed to gambling, and the research will determine if social games encourage players to wager cash on real-money casino site. "Social media and social casino games are easily accessible. Both have the potential to promote and normalise gambling activities, including to children and adolescents, who could then access illegal offshore gambling sites,” says Dr Gainsbury.
The study consists of a short survey, which asks questions about social media and gaming behaviour. Participants are asked about the types of social media sites they visit regularly and how often they gamble. The study also aims to find out if gamblers follow casino operators on social media sites and if this has any impact on player’s behaviour.
As more and more Australians get involved on social media sites, it becomes increasingly important to understand how the platform interacts with online gambling. This study aims to get to the bottom of this issue. To view the study’s abstract, click here: http://cger.scu.edu.au/.
You can take part in the survey here: https://scuau.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_4SCwmmxfhXSaQsJ.