Gambling Commission survey studies effects of free bets and spins
Most respondents said they were not influenced by free bets and spins, but a third said the promotions caused them to gamble more than they intended.
UK.- The Gambling Commission has reported mixed findings from a new survey on the impact of free bets and free slot spins on players.
While 61 per cent of respondents said such offers had no impact on their play, 31 per cent said free bets and spins did cause them to gamble more than they intended.
The online survey was conducted via a panel organised by Yonder Consulting in June last year. It found that younger people were more likely to be influenced by free bets, with 39 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds and 46 per cent of 25 to 34-year-olds saying they had gambled more as a result.
Meanwhile, just over a third of all respondents said they had gambled with an operator they had not gambled with before because of a bonus offer, and 28 per cent said they had gambled on a new activity.
Gambling incentives
Asked about what incentives they had received from gambling operators in the prior 12 months, 65 per cent of participants said they had received incentives, with more than half mentioning free bets or spins.
Just over half of respondents said they had received sign up offers and 41 per cent said they received reminders to gamble with a bonus offer.
The most common medium for incentives to be received was by email, cited by 47 per cent of participants. Just 17 per cent mentioned receiving text messages and 16 per cent through notifications from gambling apps.
Almost three-quarters of respondents received incentives for online betting, while 39 per cent received incentives for online slots and 37 per cent for online bingo.
Earlier this month, the Gambling Commission reported that two people had been removed from Facebook groups following its investigation of unlicensed lotteries on the platform.
Meanwhile, the Gambling Commission’s tender for the fourth National Lottery licence has come in for controversy over reports that it favours the incumbent Camelot to keep the licence.
