An investigation of employee and consumer perceptions of responsible internet gambling

Mulkeen, J

Abstract

Within the UK, the Gambling Act 2005 remains the primary piece of legislation that governs how the gambling industry is regulated. The Act established the following licensing principles upon which gambling practices should be based: that gambling should not be a source of crime or disorder, be associated with crime or disorder or be used to support crime; gambling should be conducted in a fair and open way; and children and other vulnerable people should not be harmed or exploited. Reflecting the general principles of corporate citizenship, the Gambling Act 2005 implies that those organisations which provide gambling products and services should integrate ethics and social responsibility within their operational and strategic frameworks and within their corporate governance. This thesis focuses on employee and consumer perceptions of responsible gambling in general, and specifically in terms of the utility of responsible gambling tools that are available to them. It reviews literature relating to corporate social responsibility and responsible gambling from a variety of perspectives ranging from those who propose that the ultimate responsibility rests with the consumer to those who recommend that gambling organisations should be able to demonstrate compliance with responsible gambling initiatives.
The primary data analysis is based on two studies: one focusing on responsible gambling perceptions of 17 employees from a leading Internet gambling provider; and a second study based on 425 consumer perceptions of responsible gambling provisions which were elicited using an Internet based questionnaire. The interviews were analysed using thematic analysis whilst statistical applications including linear regression and multinomial regression were used to analyse questionnaire responses.
The analysis highlights factors that undermine the current approach of responsible gambling which is based on the principle of self-identification, self-help and self-regulation by the consumer. For example, it proposes that employee and consumer perceptions of responsible gambling are based on the following four components: perceptions of potential conflicts of interest with a system; willingness to engage with responsible gambling tools; the perceived effectiveness of the responsible gambling systems and the level of responsibility associated with marketing activities. In addition, it distinguishes between financial motives in terms of those who gamble to earn income and those who gamble to win money and it highlights that human factors, such as the need for autonomy and mastery are as significant as social, financial, escape and arousal factors in influencing an individual’s decision to gamble. The study recommends a review of the way in which gambling addiction is diagnosed and research and treatment are funded. This will include challenges for policy makers and providers of gambling products and services in terms of how responsible gambling may further be improved in the future.

Citation

Mulkeen, J. An investigation of employee and consumer perceptions of responsible internet gambling. (Thesis). University of Salford

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Apr 8, 2013
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 8, 2013
• Keywords: Corporate social responsibility; CSR; Gambling; Internet gambling
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• Award Date: Feb 26, 2013