24-01-2007 Online casino and poker players view gambling as a form of leisure activity

The Global Online Gambler Survey, a comprehensive study into player behaviour commissioned by gambling industry self-regulatory body eCOGRA, revealed that although playing for money is important in terms of making games entertaining, the majority of gamblers appear to not be playing to win money long-term, but for the entertainment and excitement.

Among the findings of the survey, it was determined that the average online poker player is likely to be male, aged 26-35, have played for 2-3 years, play 2-3 times per week and to have visited more than 6 poker sites in the preceding three months.

The average online casino player on the other hand is more likely to be female, aged 46-55 and again to have visited more than 6 casino sites in the preceding three months.

Overall, players felt that there was some need for improvement across a range of areas: 55% wanted to see an increase in the number of sites submitting themselves to effective self regulation, while operator transparency (55%), clarity of regulations (54%), uniformity of code of conduct (51%), responsiveness to complaints (49%) and better responsible gambling features (48%) all featured highly on the list.

The most important single motivator for playing at a particular casino site is its bonuses (75%), followed by game variety (62%), deposit method and reputation (both 56%) and then promptness of payouts (54%). 64% of players 'often' or 'always' played on the biggest named sites, with 40% saying they 'never' played on smaller sites because of fear of being cheated. In addition, 70% of players said they sought out well known software providers or other assurances such as the eCOGRA 'Play it Safe' seal (61%).

Nearly 40% of respondents said they visited message boards or forums to get information about sites (53%), to have a general read and catch up on news (40% and 37% respectively) as well as find out about promotional offers (the most popular of all, cited by 65% of respondents).

Andrew Beveridge, CEO of eCOGRA, commented: "These findings are a salutary reminder about the vast majority of players who enjoy this form of entertainment responsibly. Our job is to signpost players towards those operators who are meeting the majority's expectations regarding fair play, responsible operator conduct and provisions to address problem gambling. We are encouraged by much of the feedback, but also recognise that we still have some way to go."

In other news, poker site PKR.com and YouGov also released a survey that showed broad public support among UK consumers for government plans to license and regulate online gambling. 63% of the 4,630 respondents agreed with Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell's strategy to oversee the online gambling industry from within the UK.

The PKR.com/YouGov survey also highlighted that licensing and regulation plays a major role in consumer decisions about which online gaming sites they play. Nearly two thirds of those polled (63%) believe that it is important for an internet gambling site to have a license, with only 5% seeing licensing as "not important at all". 70% of respondents said they would trust a poker room or casino that is licensed and regulated in the UK.

Malcolm Graham, CEO of PKR.com, said: "We've always known that trust is a major factor when it comes to consumer decisions about where to gamble online – which is why we would welcome the introduction of a UK based licensing regime in order to extend an even greater level of protection to consumers and help them avoid unscrupulous operators."