Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The Gaming and Betting Study: Survey of Loyalty Card Customers, Waves 1 and 2, 2014-2016 was commissioned by the Responsible Gambling Trust (now GambleAware), as part of a programme of research looking at users of machines in bookmakers. This programme aimed to examine whether industry data generated by machines in bookmakers could be used to distinguish between harmful and non-harmful patterns of play. A baseline survey of people who had a loyalty card for Ladbrokes, William Hill or Paddy Power was conducted in 2014. The survey included questions about gambling behaviour and questions which measured whether someone was a problem gambler or not. Permission was sought to link participant’s survey data with their loyalty card data (this is not included in the deposited dataset). Overall, 4,727 people took part in the survey and 4,001 people agreed that their survey responses and their loyalty card data could be linked. Data was collected either via a web survey or a telephone interview. A follow-up study was commissioned in 2016 to explore changing patterns of gambling behaviour over time, examine changes in problem gambling behaviour, and identify who is more likely to change problem gambling status. Telephone interviews took place between May and August 2016 and total of 1552 full interviews were obtained. This study contains the data for all individuals who gave a full interview at both waves.

Main Topics:

The study provides information about problem gambling behaviour, machine gambling, changes in harmful and non-harmful patterns of play and changes in problem gambling behaviour over time.

Random probability sample of bookmaker loyalty card holders (provided by bookmakers) for wave one of survey. Wave two sample consisted of participants that agreed to be recontacted and provided a valid telephone number and address.

Telephone interview

Web-based survey