Since the legalization of gambling and most recently sports-betting across the U.S, gambling has become virtually omnipresent; as a result, many more people are participating, and many more people are struggling with problem gambling.
In response to increased concern, industry and public health professionals have started a movement to encourage what they’re calling “responsible gambling”—which often starts with setting limits on one’s own gambling behaviors.
While this sounds good in theory, research shows millions of Americans aren’t setting limits, let alone abide by them. In order to understand the factors that promote or discourage individuals from setting limits when they gamble, Market Street Research partnered with Argus to conduct a nationwide survey.
Our Approach
We utilized Barrier Analysis to investigate the ways that those who set limits while they gamble differ from those who do not. This approach allowed us to uncover differences in attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors that may otherwise be missed from more traditional techniques.
Key Findings
- Believing in the power of limit-setting matters—and is often acquired and reinforced socially. Those who set limits on their gambling were much more likely to believe that it’s important, effective, and preventative. However, these individuals were also more likely to belong to families, communities, and cultures where gambling is common. This suggests that they’d already learned about safe and responsible practices when they learned to gamble.
- When belief becomes the barrier. While those who set limits may do so regularly and confidently, they are also more likely to believe that those limits will prevent them from ever developing a gambling problem. Because of this, many limit-setters believe that they are immune from problem gambling—and are much less likely to seek professional help even when they need it.
Impact
By using barrier analysis to uncover gambler attitudes and beliefs, we found that limits, while good and likely help prevent many people from gambling problems, can become a barrier to seeking help. This suggests the need to focus public health efforts on campaigns that encourage help-seeking in addition to setting limits.
Barrier Analysis systematically explores the behavioral determinants that drive or block change. It gives organizations a clear roadmap for designing interventions that actually shift behavior—taking the guesswork out of behavior change.
To learn more about Barrier Analysis and how it can benefit your work, contact us for a consultation today.