New Study Finds That Video Gamers are More Likely to Enjoy Activities Like Betting and Online Casino Gameplay
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I don't think anyone could argue with the fact that we are at the height of the digital age. While online entertainment has been steadily growing since the introduction of the internet, the year 2020 forced the world to take a giant leap forward. The Corona Virus pandemic forced friends and loved ones apart and put to bed traditional social values for a while. Increasingly, both children and adults alike turned online to pass their time.
Both video gaming and online gambling have seen massive spikes over this period and new studies suggest that the love for video games may create a doorway to online gambling. Statistics in the UK show that video gamers are over four times more likely to bet.
The Study's Breakdown
Party Casino's parent company, Entain, embarked upon a mass study that involved 16,000 UK residents. The specific purpose of the investigation was to analyze the public's online habits regarding video games, iGaming, sports betting, and social media time.
They found that video gamers were 4.3 times more likely to place bets on sports and Esports, and 4.5 times more video gamers were likely to partake in online casino gambling.
The stats go on to show that while both men and women bet, enjoy online gambling, and play video games, men between the ages of 25 and 44 years old were twice as likely to enjoy these pastimes.
Video Games Are For Everyone
Video gaming has been around for decades now. It's just the quality of the entertainment that has increased over time. While we are undoubtedly at the peak of the digital generation, we are nowhere near its genesis. Moms and Dads who are now in their 30s and 40s grew up with the likes of Atari, Nintendo, Playstation, and Xbox. As such, playing video games is not only a pastime relegated to kids anymore.
Nearly 50% of men in the UK between 25 and 44 admitted to enjoying games like FIFA, Fortnite, Call of Duty, and other popular game models. Further, in the USA, studies show that 38% of US video gamers are between 18 and 34.
PokCas conducted a study of its own on social media. We decided to find out just how popular adult gaming was on Facebook. One of the largest "Adult Only" Fortnite groups lingered at just under 25K members. That's a great indicator of the popularity of the "child's video game" enjoyed by over 21s.
Suppose a generation at the genesis of video gaming finds it easy to transition to the online gambling sphere. How likely will the up-and-coming generation be conditioned to make the same transition? This might be a great time for regulators to increase their responsible gambling campaigns and their fight against underage gambling.
How Video Games Condition Us for Gambling
There are a few ways that video games condition players for the iGaming scene:
- The thrill of taking risks to win is instilled in video games. This chase for the win certainly increases the dopamine level in the brain, which can be highly addictive.
- Introducing in-game currencies to purchase items that boost your video game encounter is a small step away from paying to win on a slot machine or video poker game.
- The introduction of Lootboxes to games like FIFA has a gambling element to them. Players purchase a package without knowing what they are going to get. This chance element is not too dissimilar from paying money and spinning a slot reel for a prize.
- Games like Grand Theft Auto (GTA) are unapologetic about introducing an actual casino environment into their game. In this open-world video game, players can wander the streets, steal cars, mug people, evade the police, and gamble at the tables or on slots machines.
- Esports has become a popular offering in online sportsbooks. As such, video gamers can now place wagers on players and teams that play the games they enjoy most.
Our Verdict
The stats are undeniable. Gamers are far more likely to transition to and from casino games and mainstream video games. There really is a narrow line between the two, and as gamers come of age, the transition from one to the next is seamless. As such, we can expect that iGaming will continue its current trajectory as more and more video gamers come of age. This is good news for the web industry!
This article was produced by PokCas and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.
Featured Image Credit: Freepik.
