An international team of scientists, supported by the UK Department of Health, has investigated how winning influences the risk of problem gambling. involved players from Poland and France who answered questions about gambling behaviour, winning experiences, gambling motivation, and problems.
The research used an innovative approach that emphasised the notion of ‘significant winnings.’ This approach is based on players’ subjective perceptions of money and winnings. It does not impose any specific criteria, especially regarding the amount of winnings, in order to explore the player’s perspective more holistically.
The idea of winning as a primary motive
Research has yet to establish a threshold amount of winnings that can trigger changes in players’ gaming behaviour. In this regard, scientists have suggested that the primary motivating factor for continued gambling may be the idea of winning, regardless of the amount. In addition, some studies show that even small winnings can increase the propensity to continue gambling.
The psychological mechanism here is positive reinforcement. A player’s experience of reward is subjective: it depends on the situation and current needs. Therefore, one way of understanding a significant gain in the study is that it occurred at the right moment, according to the player. Consequently, to understand the role of winning in gambling, the researchers went beyond the traditional focus on monetary amounts.
Polish players are more prone to problem gambling
Analysis of responses from 3,143 players from Poland and 5,692 players from France revealed universal and specific factors associated with the risk of problem gambling. Universal factors include lower risk among women, higher risk at age 35 and older, lack of family income, current and past debts, higher risk for games other than lotteries, and high frequency of gambling.
Risk factors also include increased motivation to gamble related to coping and social motivations, while financial motivation is inversely correlated with risk.
Regarding national differences, the French associated significant gains with the social environment. At the same time, the French group considered higher costs to be more problematic than the Polish group. Researchers noted that a higher risk of problem gambling was observed among Polish players.
Winning is a risky experience
The study’s key finding was that significant winnings were strongly linked to problem gambling, even after accounting for other compelling factors. The study emphasises the role of substantial winnings, viewed as subjective player experiences, in the development of gambling addiction. This finding extends our understanding of the role of gambling winnings as a risky experience, regardless of the costs.
This article was first published in Russian on 30 April 2025.
