Michael Wohl: When is Play-For-Fun Just Fun? Identifying Factors That Predict Migration from Social Networking Gaming to Internet Gambling Session 3A Presented at the New Horizons in Responsible Gambling Conference in Vancouver, January 27-29, 2014

3. Dr. Michael Wohl
When is Play-For-Fun Just Fun? Identifying Factors
that Predict Migration from Social Networking Gaming
to Internet Gambling
Co-authored by Dr. Jeffrey Derevensky,
Dr. Rina Gupta, and Melissa Salmon

4. Dr. Michael J.A. Wohl (Carleton University)
Dr. Rina Gupta (McGill University)
Dr. Jeffrey Derevensky (McGill University)
Melissa Salmon (Carleton University)

9. 20
18
16
2012
14.2
2015-E
14
12
10
8.3
8
6
4
2
0
Social Gaming Revenue - Worldwide (in Billions)
Source: Super Data Research

11. Social Media Games
53% of Facebook users play social media
games (81 million people play at least one
game daily).

15. A whopping amount of social
casino gamers
There are currently 170 million social casino
gamers, well over triple the number of
online gamblers (Morgan Stanley, 2012).

16. Social Casino Games
53% of Facebook users play social media
games (81 million people play at least one
game daily)…. many of which are social
casino games.

19. The Hunt to Make More $$$
Estimated revenues (2012) from of social
casino games is U.S.$1.6 billion (SuperData
Research, 2012)
The Morgan Stanley Blue Paper (2012) highlighted the
importance of trying to migrate social casino gamblers
to become online gamblers.

20. At issue…
As exposure to a stimulus increases, the
most vulnerable are the first to be
“infected”
We might see increases in gambling
participation near epicenters of gambling
(LaPlante & Shaffer, 2007)

21. Is there a link?
Play for fun
Play for pay

22. From the mouth of the gamer
Focus groups
Objective:
1. Understanding factors that attract young adults to online
gambling, including the potential role played by social media
sites.
2. Avoid presuppositions influencing program of research

23. Method
Six focus groups were conducted:
1) Play-for-fun (N=30): Three focus groups of social casino
gamblers, but who do not play online for money
2) Play-for-pay (n=21): Three focus groups with regular online
gamblers

24. Everyone who is participating in this group has indicated gambling online for money. That makes you the
experts. We are turning to you to help us understand certain things related to online gambling activity. We
are not looking to find out personal information on your play activity; we are looking for information in
general.
1.For example, I’d like to gain a better understanding of the things that lead to online gambling in the first
place. Based on what you know, what are the factors, the events, or the influences that result in a young
person deciding to bet money on gambling activities online?
2.You know that social media sites have gambling-type games such as Texas-Hold’em or Sloto-mania. In
your opinion, do you think experience with these games leads a person to seek online gambling sites? In
other words, do these types of games serve as a form of initiation to gambling online with real money?
3.In your opinion, do you think people who gamble online have particular personality traits, or factors that
are unique to them that make them more likely to gamble online?
4.There are a lot of gambling sites out there. How do you choose one over the other?
5.What are the features that render one online gambling site more appealing than another?
6.If you think about the sites that are “not good”, sites that you have navigated away from, what were the
things you did not like?
7.What are the pros and cons of online gambling?
8.Once you are engaged in an online gambling session, what usually makes you decide that it is time to
stop?
9.What strategies do people your age tend to use to minimize their risks? Are there common responsible
gambling practices?

25. 1.When you think about social media sites like Facebook, what is the first thought that comes to mind? What do you like best about
social media? What do you like least?
2.You all must be aware of games that are offered on sites such as Facebook. I’m talking about games such as Farmville, Words with
Friends, etc… What, in your opinion, are the benefits or downfalls of these games? Overall, do they contribute to your well-being? If
not, in what way? Which games have the greatest appeal?
3.There are also gambling-type games such as Texas Hold’em and simulated casino play offered on these sites. Texas Hold’em is
actually the most popular of all the games offered on Facebook (62 million fans on their page). What, do you think, is the appeal of
these free gambling-type games?
4.Even though there is no real money exchanged, people do seem to get very caught up in the gambling-type games, often playing for
longer than intended. Due to recent developments, Facebook now allows online casinos to advertise on their site. What are your
opinions on this? Would you ever click on the casino ads?
5.We are interested in your impressions (based on your own experiences or those of others whom you know) about what role, if any,
social networking sites play in promoting or encouraging online gambling behavior (for real money).
6.Do you think individuals who never would have considered gambling online, will gamble now that they are exposed through these
social media sites?
7.Online casinos often offer “play for fun” options, allowing you to play without real money. In your opinion, what are some
advantages or downfalls of these play-for-free options?
8.Thinking about the free games on social media sites as well as free-play options on online gambling sites, would people be likely to
move from free games to paying games? Why or why not?

26. General Observations

27. Play-for-fun Sample
Primary themes
– Good for the Ego (Self-enhancement)
– social media is an integral and important part of daily life, and that to not be part
of it is isolating (Socialization/ Social pressure to play)
– Increases skill on skill-based games (Skill building)
– Spending a lot of time spent playing (loss of control)

28. Play-for-pay Sample
Primary themes:
– Tendency to be more impulsive online (loss of control)
– Ease of access
– manipulations by online providers (including
promotion/advertisement tactics)

29. Comparison of expression

30. Commonality: FACEBOOK
Play-for-fun participants: spontaneous mention of a
possible transfer to play-for-pay
Play-for-pay participants: Spontaneous mention of a
transfer happening

31. “I DIDN’T UNDERSTAND HOW I GOT FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER
PLACE, FROM PLAYING FOR FUN TO BEING IN TROUBLE.”

32. Clues in Motivation?
Play-for-fun
Social competition and/or connectedness (self-enhancement)
Fun (excitement/entertainment)
Training for real gambling (skill building)
Play-for-pay
Elevation of mood, feel better about oneself, relieve stress (coping)
Enhancement of experience/win money (excitement/entertainment)
Opportunities to learn (Skill building)

33. Sign of trouble ahead?
1) Minimal awareness that serious problems could
arise from online gambling, despite their
understanding of how easily one could lose
control.
2) Felt immune to serious problems given they are
“university educated” re: gambling
3) Online ≠ Real world

34. From the mouth of a Play-for-fun
participant
“You look at other people and they have scores that are
ridiculously higher than you, and you like have to find a
way to beat that score. And you waste the whole day
and in the end it doesn’t matter because it’s not real. It’s
in the fake world. There is regret afterwards”

35. From the mouth of a Play-for-pay
Participant
“If you transfer from Facebook to online gambling,
you still have the mentality that you are in a fake
world and you are used to playing with fake money
and you forget that the money you are spending is
real.”

36. LONGITUDINAL STUDY
Longitudinal Study
Participants:
N=603
Student and community sample (via Amazon Mturk)
Method
Time 1:
Follow-ups:
People who indicate they play for fun
6 month follow-up to be discussed
12, 24 months later (to be collected)

37. LONGITUDINAL STUDY
Longitudinal Study
Measures
• Where do you play?
• Motivation to start playing for fun:
– Entertainment, Social, Stress reduction, Skill building
• Initiator of session play:
– Friends posting scores
• Time spent playing
• Do you pay for credit?

38. Where do you play?

39. Motivation for playing free games
7.00
6.00
5.13
5.00
4.26
4.00
3.50
2.87
3.00
2.00
1.00
Entertainment
Socializing
Stress Reduction
Skill Building

40. Motivations as predictor of
Facebook posts leading to play?
• Entertainment: p = .004
• Socializing: p < .001
• Stress Reduction: p = .01
• Skill Building: p = .31
Multiple regression

41. Motivations and paying for credits
• Entertainment: p = .59, Exp(B) = 1.13
• Socializing: p = .07, Exp(B) = .76
• Stress Reduction: p = .25, Exp(B) = 1.20
• Skill Building: p = .006, Exp(B) = 1.44
Multiple logistic regression

42. The issue with paying for credits
6
4.81
5
4.83
4.20
4
2.94
3
2
2.00
2.21
Yes
1
0
Impulsivity
No
Craving
I might play-for-pay

43. Motivation as a predictor of
time spent
• Entertainment: p = .30
• Socializing: p < .001
• Stress Reduction: p < .001
• Skill Building: p = .73
Multiple regression

44. LONGITUDINAL STUDY
Longitudinal Study:
Six-month follow-up (in process)
Method of re-contact:
Reminder 2 weeks prior to date. Initial email and 2 reminder emails.
Participants:
N=182 to-date (of the 603 that completed the full survey)

45. Play-for-fun to Play-for-pay

46. Narratives
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Eventually I just wanted to see if I could win real money
I felt that I became great at the play-for-fun games
Had a little extra money, wanted to try it.
thought I could start making some extra cash.
Payout for play for fun was very "rewarding" (likely to be
replicated on play for pay)
6. I wanted more exciting experiences and wanted to make my
wins more meaningful.
7. Playing for fun not stimulating enough.
8. I just wanted to try spicing things up.

47. Predicting transition: T1 motivation
• Entertainment: p = .16, Exp(B) = .65
• Socializing: p = .56, Exp(B) = 1.12
• Stress Reduction: p = .22, Exp(B) = 1.28
• Skill Building: p = .98, Exp(B) = 1.00
Multiple logistic regression

48. Predicting transition: T1 posting
Facebook posts:
p = .17, Exp(B) = 1.17

49. Predicting transition:
Paying for Credits at T1
Paying for free credits at T1:
p = .004, Exp(B) = 6.13

50. Predicting transition:
T1 time spent playing
Time spent playing:
p = .007, Exp(B) = 1.74

51. Exposure

52. Exposure Study
Participants:
N=28 (to-date) young adults who don’t gamble online.
Procedure
Step 1: Played Candy Crush or Party Casino Slots
Step 2: Given $10 for participating
Step 3: Second Study Paradigm: Offered opportunity to use $10
is an unrelated gambling study.

53. Expressed Desire to Gamble

54. Possible Explanation
1. Casino Games as Prophylactic?/ Social Games as
Catalyst?
“Playing slots on Facebook gives me the fix I need”
2. Game specific transfer?
Slot Slots
Poker Poker
“I don’t like slots, are there other games I can play?”

55. Limitations
1. The need to assess the possible effect of preferred
game.
2. The need to assess willingness to buy credits.
3. Possible demand effects

56. In sum
People seem to recognize that they are being targeted online.
They also seem to Play-for-Fun to socialize and reduce stress
THE IMPACT OF CREDITS
THE IMPACT OF TIME SPENT!
THE IMPACT OF EXPOSURE!

57. Conclusion
Governments and operators have yet to articulate clear rules and
procedures for social casin0 games. One reason for this lack of
urgency is the paucity of knowledge regarding the impact of social
gaming on the user.
At issues: accessibility and availability
The need: To keep an eye on convergence of gambling and social
media contributing to the normalization of gambling online.

58. DATA COLLECTION CONTINUING
Play for fun
Play for pay