Lottery Players Research Articles

The National Lottery, religion, and community in mid-1990s Britain

ABSTRACT Introduced in 1994, the National Lottery quickly sparked debate amongst faith leaders, cautious about the new institution. This article traces the reverberations of religious critiques of the lottery amidst the evidence of religious organisations simultaneously accepting lottery proceeds. Questioning how secular British culture was in the 1990s, it offers a more complex picture than accounts which see the failure of faith leaders to amend the lottery as symbolic of the weakness of religion at the end of the century. Looking in detail at individual lottery players—both believers and those without faith—the article positions lottery play as a surprising instrument of community in the 1990s. Based in large part on an analysis of responses to the Mass Observation Project, it also carries implications for scholars who use this material to unpack popular attitudes at the end of the century.

The gambler’s fallacy prevails in lottery play

The gambler’s fallacy prevails in lottery play

Unambiguous evidence that over half of gambling problems in Australia are caused by electronic gambling machines: Results from a large-scale composite population study.

It is well understood that engagement with some forms of gambling, like EGMs, is riskier than other forms. However, while reports of associations are common, few studies have attempted to evaluate and compare the relative risk of all available forms, and none have estimated the relative contribution of each form to the total burden of gambling problems (GP) in a population. Using an aggregated dataset of national and state-based prevalence studies in Australia (N=71,103), we estimated prevalence and unique effects of frequency of engagement on each form on GP. Two alternative numerical methods were then applied to infer the relative contribution of each form to the total amount of GP. EGMs are responsible for 51%-57% of gambling problems in Australia, and 90% of gambling problems are attributable to EGMs, casino, race, and sports betting. Casino table games and EGMs are equally risky at the individual level, but the former contribute far less to problems due to low participation. Bingo and lottery play show no statistically detectable risk for GP. The results illustrate which forms present the greatest population burden and illuminate the reasons why. EGMs have an outsized impact. EGM uniquely combines high risk conditional on play, with a high participation rate and a high frequency of play among participants. This is in contrast to risky but less commonly played casino games, and prevalent but non-risky forms like lotteries. We conclude that EGM regulation should be a primary focus of policy action in Australia. More innovative policy ideas relating to EGMs should be tested due to the disproportionate impact of this product type.

What we bet on is not only tangible money, but also good mood

ABSTRACT A surprisingly large number of lottery prizes go unclaimed every year. This leads us to suspect that what people bet on is not only money, but also good mood. We conducted three studies to explain, from an emotional perspective, why people play lottery games. We first conducted two survey studies to assess mood state reported by online (Study 1a) and offline lottery buyers (Study 1b) at different stages of lottery play. The results revealed that participants’ highest mood appeared before knowing whether they had won. In Study 2, we manipulated the means of reward (lottery tickets vs. cash) and compared participants’ mood changes at different stages of a rewards game in the laboratory. We found the following: first, lottery group participants were generally in a better mood; second, 42% of lottery group participants did not come to the laboratory to collect scratch cards; and third, lottery group participants took more time to return to the laboratory to check their tickets than participants in the cash group. In Study 3, we examined whether priming good or bad mood could influence participants’ preferences for cash versus lottery tickets. The results revealed that participants who were primed for poor mood had a higher preference for lottery tickets compared with their good mood counterparts. These findings suggest that what our participants sought in lottery play was not only money, but improved mood.

The Nexus Between Gambling Tax and the Gross Domestic Product in Kenya

This study seeks to assess the relationship between the tax rates imposed on each sub-sector, i.e. betting tax, lottery tax, gaming tax and prize competition tax, and the gross domestic product. The target population for this study include all licenced gambling operators in Kenya. Secondary data was obtained via request from the relevant authorities in Kenya. Regression analysis was performed on the data to model the relationship between the variables. It was found that an increase in the monetary amount of gambling taxes levied from winning punters and gamers would likely lead to a decrease in the GDP, whereas the same increase in the monetary amount of gambling taxes levied from winning lottery players and monetary prize winners would likely lead to an increase in the GDP. The study recommends that a moderate gambling tax regime should be imposed on all other operators except lotteries. Lottery winnings and prize competition winnings tax rates should be increased whereas betting winnings tax rates should be decreased.

Number 19: Another Victim of the COVID-19 Pandemic?

Conscious selection is the mental process by which lottery players select numbers nonrandomly. In this paper, we show that the number 19, which has been heard, read, seen, and googled countless times since March 2020, has become significantly less popular among Belgian lottery players after the World Health Organization named the disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 “COVID-19”. We argue that the reduced popularity of the number 19 is due to its negative association with the COVID-19 pandemic. Our study triangulates evidence from field data from the Belgian National Lottery and survey data from a nationally representative sample of 500 Belgian individuals. The field data indicate that the number 19 has been played significantly less frequently since March 2020. However, a potential limitation of the field data is that an unknown proportion of players selects numbers randomly through the “Quick Pick” computer system. The survey data do not suffer from this limitation and reinforce our previous findings by showing that priming an increase in the salience of COVID-19 prior to the players’ selection of lottery numbers reduces their preference for the number 19. The effect of priming is concentrated amongst those with high superstitious beliefs, further supporting our explanation for the reduced popularity of the number 19 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Examining the Gambling-Related Harms, Gambling Disorder, and Player Characteristics of Jogo do Bicho (an Illegal National Lottery) in a Representative Sample of Brazilian Lottery Players

Examining the Gambling-Related Harms, Gambling Disorder, and Player Characteristics of Jogo do Bicho (an Illegal National Lottery) in a Representative Sample of Brazilian Lottery Players

Exploring the Occurrence and Procedure of Addiction in Sports Lottery: A Case Study.

Objectives: In this study, we explored the occurrence and process of gambling addiction among sports lottery players. Methods: We used a case study approach. Three gamblers participated in this study and completed in-depth interviews and questionnaires. Results: We found that the motivation of winning is the key factor throughout the whole procedure of sports lottery addiction. The occurrence of sports lottery addiction generally experiences 4 patterns: initial, continuous, struggling, and addictive. Through these 4 patterns, we found that the procedure of sports lottery addiction includes interaction of individual needs and external attractions, motivation of sport lottery, action of sports lottery, emotional change, self-control versus out of control, investment expansion and motivation of winning, overconfidence or regret, continuous joint action of investment expansion and motivation of winning, addiction of sports lottery, and negativity. Conclusion: With in-depth analysis of the transition procedure from normal gambling to addiction to sports lottery, our findings not only revealed the changes of each sports lottery addiction pattern, but also analyzed the core factors for each pattern, which provide theoretical support for further study of sports lottery addiction.

Financial literacy and its relation to lottery gambling consumption

ABSTRACT This study uses restricted-version data from the 2018 state-by-state survey of the National Financial Capability Study to investigate the relationship between financial literacy and lottery consumption frequency. To control for the potential endogeneity of financial literacy, I employ the ordered probit model with an endogenous regressor by instrumenting the average education level of a zip-code area for financial literacy. The results indicate that an increase in financial literacy significantly reduces the lottery consumption of those who play with moderate frequency, while no marked curbing effects are found for heavy lottery players. This suggests that different policies are needed to reduce lottery consumption for those who engage with moderate frequency and those who engage with high frequency.

Mental Health Over Time and Financial Concerns Predict Change in Online Gambling During COVID-19.

This study examined online gambling behavior during COVID-19 land-based gambling restrictions and associations with changes in mental health, impacts on household income due to the pandemic, financially focused motivations, and symptoms of gambling problems. A repeated online survey was administered to adult gamblers in Ontario, Canada. Wave 1 was conducted at the beginning of the first COVID-19 lockdown (April 2020) and wave 2 in August 2020. Respondents (N = 940) completed validated self-report questionnaires related to depression and anxiety, financial motivation, financial impacts due to the pandemic, online gambling behaviors, and problem gambling symptomatology. A cluster analysis identified three subgroups: no online gambling (subgroup 1), engagement in a range of gambling games online and change in gambling involvement (i.e., some increased and some decreased gambling; subgroup 2), and predominantly online lottery play with no change in online gambling (subgroup 3). Respondents who reported increased anxiety and depression symptom severity between the two waves and those who experienced greater symptoms of problem gambling and negative impacts on household income due to COVID-19 were most likely to be found in subgroup 2. Greater financial focus was also noted in this group. Results indicate a link between change in online gambling involvement during COVID-19 and increased mental health problems, elevated problem gambling severity, negative impacts on household income, and a greater financially focused self-concept. These results may help generate novel research questions examining short and long-term effects of the pandemic on online behaviors that inform policy and practice.

Consumer Profile Segmentation in Online Lottery Gambling Utilizing Behavioral Tracking Data from the Portuguese National Lottery.

The present study is the first to examine account-based tracking data of Portuguese online lottery players comprising the gambling activity of all active players over a one-year period (N = 154,585). The main research goal was the identification of groups or segments of players by their engagement levels (high, neutral, low) and to assess preferences in product category with the use of CHAID (Chi-Square Automatic Interaction Detection) segmentation models, based on expenditure and sociodemographic variables. Findings showed that (1) age was found to be the most influential differentiating variable in player segmentation and had a positive correlation with expenditures and wagers, (2) gender was the second most influential variable (males represented 78.7% of players), (3) education the third most influential variable and had a negative correlation with expenditure, and (4) region was the least relevant variable. The models generated several players segments that engaged in different games. Older males (54–64 years; ≥ 65 years) were the most engaged overall. Younger males (18–34 years) were the least engaged but showed preferences for lotto as did females (35–49 years). Lower educated males and older males (49 years+) with a high school education were the most engaged in instant lottery games. These findings show that Portuguese lottery players can be grouped into several segments with distinct demographic characteristics and corresponding engagement levels. These findings help support more effective marketing segmentation and will help in the targeting of responsible gambling approaches.

Lottery preference and stock market participation: evidence from China

PurposeThis paper studies the effects of lottery preference on stock market participation at the macro level.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use the abnormal search volume intensity for lottery-related keywords from the Baidu search engine to capture retail investors' lottery preference. To measure stock market participation, they use five different macro-level measures from various angles. They perform the time series regression analysis in their empirical study.FindingsFirst, the validation tests show that the lottery preference index in this study is reasonable. Further, the authors find that lottery preference increases people's propensity to enter and trade in the stock market. Besides, they find that the effect on trading behavior is asymmetric, that is, high lottery preference has a more significant impact on trading behavior than low lottery preference. However, lottery preference has no significant effect on the stockholding.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the growing literature that examines the determinants of stock market participation and the role of lottery/gambling preference in the financial market. It also provides direct and novel evidence for Statman's (2002) conclusions about the similarity of lottery players and stock traders.

‘Play responsibly’: consumers’ attention to and understanding of warning messages on scratch-off lottery tickets

ABSTRACT To explore whether consumers see and understand warning messages on scratch-off lottery tickets, two laboratory observation studies were conducted. In the first study, 64 undergraduates were randomly assigned to either freely interact with a lottery ticket (i.e. minimal instruction condition) or search for information on the ticket related to gambling risks (i.e. message search condition) and then handed a lottery ticket. Approximately, one third failed to turn to the back of the ticket where warning messages were placed, and few participants accurately identified the messages. In the second study, 47 undergraduates were randomly assigned to either the minimal instruction condition or message search condition. Participants viewed computer images of the front and back of two lottery tickets while eye movement data were recorded. Analyses revealed that participants looked at the messages, but no more than other comparable areas of the tickets regardless of instructional condition. Generally, participants reported that ‘Play Responsibly,’ was easy to understand, but did not ‘teach them anything new.’ Approximately 20% of participants correctly interpreted the overall odds of winning statement. These findings support the need to improve the placement and content of scratchcard warning messages to educate players about the risks associated with lottery play.

The lottery player’s fallacy: Why labels predict strategic choices

• Representativeness and reachability explain choices in lotteries and strategic games. • Adding such Betting Numbers to a model generally improves that models datafit. • Adding layers of best-responses to Betting Numbers + uniform randomisation mix does not clearly improvefit • but worsens predictive power. • Lottery Players Fallacy explains i.a. the seeker advantage in Hide & Seek. This paper examines games with non-neutral option labels (such as “A”, “B”, “A”, “A”) and finds surprisingly invariant behaviour across games. The behaviour closely resembles the choices people make when they have to bet on one of the options in individual lotteries. An option’s ‘representativeness’ (lack of distinguishing features) and ‘reachability’ (physical centrality, salience, and valence) determine choice behaviour in both the lotteries and the highly strategic games. There is no evidence of people best-responding to others’ betting(-like) behaviour. This is in line with the idea that once people decide that strategic reasoning would not take them any further, they pick an alternative as if they were betting on one of their ‘current best-responses’. The findings explain the well-documented seeker advantage in hide-and-seek games, as well as why participants often display behaviour that could be exploited by others. On top, they help understand why in national lotteries, people also tend to bet on identical subsets of the available numbers.

The Behavioral Characteristics of Guessing Lottery Players in my country 我國競猜型彩民的行爲特徵

The Behavioral Characteristics of Guessing Lottery Players in my country 我國競猜型彩民的行爲特徵

Association Between Lottery Prize Size and Self-reported Health Habits in Swedish Lottery Players

Poor health and unhealthy lifestyles are substantially more prevalent among individuals with low income than among individuals with high income, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. To evaluate whether changes to unearned wealth from lotteries are associated with long-term health behaviors and overall health. In this quasi-experimental cohort study, 4820 participants (aged 18-70 years at the time of winning) in 3 Swedish lotteries were surveyed from September 1, 2016, to November 11, 2016, between 5 and 22 years after a lottery event. Outcomes of participants in the same lottery who were randomly assigned prizes of different magnitudes by the lotteries but were ex ante identical in terms of their probability of winning different prizes were compared. Data were analyzed from December 22, 2016, to November 21, 2019. Lottery prizes ranged from $0 for nonwinning players to $1.6 million. Four lifestyle factors (smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, and a healthy diet index) and 2 measures of overall health (subjective health and an index of total health derived from responses to questions about 35 health conditions). The survey was returned by 3344 of 4820 individuals (69%; 1722 [51.5%] male), which corresponded to 3362 observations. The mean (SD) age was 48 (11.8) years in the year of the lottery win and 60 (11.0) years at the time of the survey. There were no statistically significant associations between prize amount won and any of the 6 long-term health outcomes. Estimated associations expressed in SD units per $100 000 won were as follows: smoking (-0.006, 95% CI, -0.038 to 0.026); alcohol consumption (0.003, 95% CI, -0.027 to 0.033); physical activity (0.001, 95% CI, -0.029 to 0.032); dietary quality (-0.007, 95% CI, -0.040 to 0.026); subjective health (0.013, 95% CI, -0.017 to 0.043); and index of total health (-0.003, 95% CI, -0.033 to 0.027). In this study of Swedish lottery players, unearned wealth from random lottery prize winnings was not associated with subsequent healthy lifestyle factors or overall health. The findings suggest that large, random transfers of unearned wealth are unlikely to be associated with large, long-term changes in health habits or overall health.

The joy of lottery play: evidence from a field experiment

Buying lottery tickets is not a rational investment from a financial point of view. Yet, the majority of people participate at least once a year in a lottery. We conducted a field experiment to increase understanding of lottery participation. Using representative data for the Netherlands, we find that lottery participation increased the happiness of participants before the draw. Winning a small prize had no effect on happiness. Our results indicate that people may not only care about the outcomes of the lottery, but also enjoy the game. Accordingly, we conclude that lottery participation has a utility value in itself and part of the utility of a lottery ticket is consumed before the draw.

Long-Run Effects of Lottery Wealth on Psychological Well-Being

Abstract We surveyed a large sample of Swedish lottery players about their psychological well-being 5–22 years after a major lottery event and analysed the data following pre-registered procedures. Relative to matched controls, large-prize winners experience sustained increases in overall life satisfaction that persist for over a decade and show no evidence of dissipating over time. The estimated treatment effects on happiness and mental health are significantly smaller. Follow-up analyses of domain-specific aspects of life satisfaction implicate financial life satisfaction as an important mediator for the long-run increase in overall life satisfaction.

Impact of Lottery Play Decisions on Consumer and Retailer Earnings

We quantify the extent to which lottery spending, play timing, game choice, and number selection vary with players’ level of income, and how such variations affect their earnings and ticket retailers’ revenues. While prior research has shown that poorer consumers spend a higher proportion of their income on lottery tickets, we focus on identifying income-driven differences in consumer lottery decisions on when and how to play and quantifying the impact of these differences on consumers’ earnings and retailers’ revenues across different income areas. Using both market and transactional lottery data, we find that consumers in low-income areas have a preference for games with lower payouts and are less likely to switch between games with jackpot size changes. Further, we find that players in low-income areas are more likely to choose numbers manually and select popular number combinations; these preferences result in lower expected earnings. Overall, these differences in preferences over lottery play lead to players in low-income areas losing 10% more per ticket than those in high-income areas. Lottery retailers’ revenues in poorer areas are 45% lower than for those in higher-income areas, and they earn 0.19% less per ticket, because low-income players prefer games with lower payouts. Our results underscore the need to consider all stages of the consumer decision process when evaluating the economic impact of lotteries on consumers and retailers alike.

The Impact of Perceived Lottery Knowledge on Problem Lottery Playing: A Moderated Mediation Model

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