Study looks into gambling habits

Gamblers will be put under the microscope in a study of betting habits by the University of Glasgow.

Researchers will talk to gamblers in casinos, betting shops, arcades and bingo halls, those who play the lottery and internet gamblers.

The three-year project announced on the weekend of the Grand National aims to find out the motivations for gambling.

It will follow individual „gambling careers“ to witness how their behaviour changes and the influence of culture.

The study will look at gambling addiction.

Problem gambling

It will focus on key moments and examine when individuals realise they have a problem and decide to seek help, or not.

Researcher Dr Gerda Reith will share in a grant of more than GBP 184,000 from the Economic and Social Research Council.

She said: „Tackling Britain’s problem gambling is a very current issue.

„In the past decade, increasing liberalisation has transformed the climate of gambling in Britain, bringing the activity to greater numbers of people than ever before.

„However, despite the increased popularity of gambling, surprisingly little is known about the actual motivations, characteristics and lifestyles of gamblers and problem gamblers.“

Dr Reith will look at the socio-economic status, ethnicity, gender and education of regular as well as problem gamblers.