‘How Much Money Do You Spend on Gambling?’ The Comparative Validity of Question Wordings Used to Assess Gambling Expenditure

Abstract

Gambling expenditure is a commonly asked question in jurisdiction‐wide surveys of gambling behaviour and in surveys of household spending. However, the validity of self‐reported gambling expenditure is questionable due to the fact that these expenditures usually do not match actual gambling revenue. The present study asked a random sample of 2424 Ontario adult gamblers, in 12 different ways, about past month gambling expenditure. The relative validity of each question format was subsequently established by the correspondence of reported gambling expenditures with actual Ontario gambling revenue, as well as with amounts obtained by prospective diaries. Slight variations in question wording resulted in significant variation in reported expenditure amounts. However, certain question wordings elicited amounts closer to actual revenues and are therefore recommended for use in future surveys.