DOCSLIB.ORG

Gambling and Video Games: Are Esports Betting and Skin Gambling Associated with Greater Gambling Involvement and Harm?

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Gambling and Video Games: Are Esports Betting and Skin Gambling Associated with Greater Gambling Involvement and Harm? RESEARCH REPORT Gambling and video games: are esports betting and skin gambling associated with greater gambling involvement and harm? July 2020 responsiblegambling.vic.gov.au © Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation, July 2020 This publication is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia licence. The licence does not apply to any images, photographs, branding or logos. This report has been peer reviewed by two independent researchers. For further information on the foundation’s review process of research reports, please see responsiblegambling.vic.gov.au. For information on the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation Research Program visit responsiblegambling.vic.gov.au. Disclaimer The opinions, findings and proposals contained in this report represent the views of the authors and do not necessarily represent the attitudes or opinions of the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation or the State of Victoria. No warranty is given as to the accuracy of the information. The Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation specifically excludes any liability for any error or inaccuracy in, or omissions from, this document and any loss or damage that you or any other person may suffer. Conflict of interest declaration The authors declare no conflict of interest in relation to this report or project. To cite this report Greer, N, Rockloff, M, Russell, Alex M. T., 2020, Gambling and video games: are esports betting and skin gambling associated with greater gambling involvement and harm?, Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation, Melbourne. Enquiries Rosa Billi +61 3 9452 2625 [email protected] Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation Level 6, 14–20 Blackwood Street North Melbourne Victoria 3051 PO Box 2156 Royal Melbourne Hospital Victoria 3050 Telephone: +61 3 9452 2600 Facsimile: +61 3 9452 2660 ABN: 72 253 301 291 Our vision: A Victoria free from gambling-related harm vicrgf Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation responsiblegambling ResponsibleGambling Gambling and video games: are esports betting and skin gambling associated with greater gambling involvement and harm? Nancy Greer, Matthew Rockloff and Alex M. T. Russell CQUniversity Australia July 2020 Gambling and video games: are esports betting and skin gambling associated with greater gambling involvement and harm? Acknowledgements We would like to acknowledge the grant funding received for this project from the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation. We greatly appreciate the many survey participants. We would also like to thank Lisa Lole, from CQUniversity’s Experimental Gambling Research Laboratory, for her work copy editing. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation. Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation Page ii Gambling and video games: are esports betting and skin gambling associated with greater gambling involvement and harm? Key terms Acronym or term Description EB/SG Esports bettor/skin gambler. Sample group which combines esports cash bettors (at least fortnightly), esports skin bettors (last 12 months), and skin gamblers on games of chance (last 12 months). See definitions below for these activities. EGM Electronic Gaming Machine Esports Professional video game competitions Esports cash betting Betting money or cryptocurrency on esports Esports skin betting Betting skins or skin deposits on esports EV Esports viewer. A group sampled for at least fortnightly esports viewing, but have not bet on esports or with skins in the last 12 months. Loot box A virtual item which when opened contains a randomised in-game item reward, most often a skin of varying rarity, virtual currency, or an item which assists with game play (e.g., weapon, power up). M Mean PGSI Problem Gambling Severity Index PG Problem Gambler, scoring between 8-27 on the Problem Gambling Severity Index. RQ Research question SB Sports bettor. A group sample for at least fortnightly sports betting, but have not watched or bet on esports or with skins in the last 12 months. SD Standard Deviation SE Standard Error SGHS Short Gambling Harm Screen Skins Virtual in-game items offering cosmetic alterations to a player’s weapons, avatar or equipment used within a video game (Gambling Commission, 2017, p. 17) Skin gambling Betting skins on games of chance Social casino game Games which are based on or interact with social networks and that simulate gambling activities (Gainsbury et al., 2014). Traditional gambling Includes any form of monetary gambling not related to video games. See the Methods section for the list of traditional gambling activities measured for this research. VG Video gamer. A group sampled for at least fortnightly video gaming on a video game which is also an esport, but have not watched or bet on esports or with skins in the last 12 months. Video game-related gambling Includes any form of monetary or simulated gambling related to video games. This includes esports betting, skin gambling, loot boxes, social casino games. Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation Page iii Gambling and video games: are esports betting and skin gambling associated with greater gambling involvement and harm? Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................II KEY TERMS ...............................................................................................................III LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................V LIST OF FIGURES .....................................................................................................VI EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .............................................................................................1 Research aims .......................................................................................................................................................... 1 Methods .................................................................................................................................................................... 1 Key results ................................................................................................................................................................ 2 Conclusions .............................................................................................................................................................. 6 BACKGROUND ...........................................................................................................7 Scope ........................................................................................................................................................................ 7 What are esports and skins? .................................................................................................................................... 7 Esports betting and skin gambling ............................................................................................................................ 8 The typical esports bettor or skin gambler ............................................................................................................... 9 Engagement in traditional forms of gambling ......................................................................................................... 10 Gambling-related harm and problem gambling ...................................................................................................... 10 The unique risk to video gamers and esports viewers ........................................................................................... 11 The gateway effect: migration from video game-related to traditional gambling .................................................... 13 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................................................. 14 The current study .................................................................................................................................................... 15 METHODS ................................................................................................................. 16 Design and procedure ............................................................................................................................................ 16 Participants ............................................................................................................................................................. 18 Measures ................................................................................................................................................................ 20 Data analyses ......................................................................................................................................................... 22 RESULTS ...................................................................................................................24 Demographic characteristics .................................................................................................................................. 24 RQ1. What are the demographic characteristics and gambling behaviours of esports bettors and skin gamblers? .................................................................................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Skin Gambling
    UNDERSTANDING SKIN GAMBLING A guide to what skin gambling is, how it works, the demand for skin gambling, recent controversy, the legal issues, and the key takeaways for the regulated gambling industry. CHRIS GROVE 2016 Partner, Narus Advisors Thanks to increasing coverage from the mainstream media and a recent rash of controversies, skin betting - online wagering conducted in digital items instead of money - has become a topic of interest to many in the gambling industry . This white paper provides a concise but comprehensive education on the fundamentals of skin betting, the size and nature of the market for skin betting, the legal landscape, and some key takeaways for commercial gambling stakeholders . TABLE OF CONTENTS OVERVIEW 1 What are skins? . .2 How do players acquire skins? . 2. How do people bet skins? . .2 How large is the market for skin betting? . .3 SKIN BETTING: INDUSTRY TIMELINE 4 Introduction and growth . 4. Recent controversy . .4 SKIN GAMBLING AND THE LAW 5 KEY TAKEAWAYS FOR THE COMMERCIAL GAMBLING INDUSTRY 6 Strong demand for gambling exists among esports fans . .6 That demand may not be obvious through the prism of traditional gambling . 6. Focus on speed, simplicity, social (and skins) . .6 APPENDIX A 7 APPENDIX B 7 AN IMPORTANT NOTE As we prepare to publish this paper (July 2016), the skin gambling industry is facing an existential threat from game developer Valve. The game developer is seeking to shut down skin betting sites, a move that appears to be meeting at least some resistance from the sites. We believe that even if Valve is successful in largely eradicating skin gambling, the product still deserves careful attention as a possible template for a new class of gambling products that will prove popular with esports fans and the new generation of gamblers they represent.
    [Show full text]
  • What the Skin Betting Lawsuits Could Mean for Social Gaming
    Law and Legislation GETTING REAL: WHAT THE SKIN BETTING LAWSUITS COULD MEAN FOR SOCIAL GAMING Faced with several lawsuits, CS:GO developer Valve has acted decisively to The plaintiff claimed the casino element of stop third-party sites offering skin betting, but if the courts now hold that skins Game of War was illegal gambling. The court have “real-world” value, the entire skins system—and all similar gaming— disagreed and held that the game itself was could be at risk, writes Jessica A. Feil of Ifrah Law. not a gambling “machine” as defined in the state statutes. While the holding focused on eSports is the new, burgeoning, competitive The social gaming cases and the physical mechanics of the game, the tone video game industry. Starting with popular virtual prizes of the opinion stressed the difference between video games for home play, now there are In four recent social gaming cases, plaintiffs real-world and virtual goods. According to international tournaments and professional sued various mobile social game creators for the court, the virtual goods have no real value leagues organized around the games. But losses due to alleged illegal gambling. Yet, in except to enhance gameplay. Further, the with growth comes legal challenges. One all of these cases, the courts have sided with ability to sell the items on an unsanctioned major game creator, Valve Corporation, has the game creators. The grounds for dismissal secondary market did not establish a real- been named as a defendant in three putative in these cases illuminate a similar theme: world value for the virtual items.
    [Show full text]
  • An Educator's Guide to Gaming
    EDUCATOR RESOURCE VIDEO GAME TERMS GLOSSARY An Educator’s Guide to Gaming Gambling in games has a language all its own. Here are some words you need to know. 1-up Power-Up An object that gives the player an extra life (or try) in games Objects that instantly benefit or add extra abilities to where the player has a limited number of chances to complete the game character, usually as a temporary effect. a game, a task, or level. 1-ups can be acheived by completing Persistent power-ups are called perks. Power-Ups levels or found in purchased loot boxes. can be acheived by completing levels or found in purchased loot boxes. 100% A game is 100% complete once a player unlocks all available Season content and completes the game. The player must collect 1. The full set of downloadable content that is every in-game item, upgrade, and complete every mission to planned to be added to a video game, which can get 100%. Many players are so determined to get 100%, that be entirely purchased with a season pass. they will make mulitiple in-game purchases for upgrades to 2. A finite period of time in massive multiplayer achieve this goal. online games in which new content, such as themes, rules, and modes, becomes available – Downloadable Content (DLC) sometimes replacing prior time-limited content. Additional content for a video game that is acquired through a Notable games that use this “season” system digital delivery system. DLCs can be purchased in video game include Star Wars: Battlefront II (2017) and console stores.
    [Show full text]
  • Minecraft Free Minecoins
    Minecraft Free Minecoins Minecraft Free Minecoins CLICK HERE TO ACCESS MINECRAFT GENERATOR minecraft pe free apk Minecraft: PS4™ Edition will no longer be available to purchase, but existing owners can continue to play it if they desire. It is available as an option chose inside the Log into Minecraft on your PS4™ and you'll be automatically granted the entitlements for that downloadable content in the latest version. Free, full-package Minecraft servers. 1,000,000 servers hosted so far. "Your server can get a community within a week without the hassle of putting your server on several Minecraft server list websites." hacker minecraft appvn Using out free online Minecraft gift card generator tool you can easily generate completely free Minecraft gift card code by following below These numbers are the exact same as the numbers you will get for your E-Gift card. Advancements in technology have just made it so that we can step away... hack server minecraft pe how to change windows 10 free trial minecraft to The controller button layout can be completely configured in the Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta menu, but the default controls seem to work great. Native controller support is a big deal for a ... comment installer un cheat sur minecraft 2018 if i own minecraft xbox is pc free minecraft hack client 1.2 2 Open it, and copy and paste the following text: java -Xmx2048M -Xms2048M -jar forge-1.12.2-14.23.5.2838-universal.jar -o true nogui. The number 2048 actually says how much ram the server will be using, 2048 being 2gb, or 4096 being 4gb.
    [Show full text]
  • The Political Economy of the App
    Nieborg, D. (2016). From premium to freemium: The political economy of the app. In T. Leaver & M. Willson (Eds.), Social, Casual and Mobile Games: The Changing Gaming Landscape (pp. 225–240). London and New York: Bloomsbury Academic. Released under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/. Your rights under the License are in addition to any fair use or fair dealing rights which you have. 16 From premium to freemium: The political economy of the app David Nieborg or decades, the game industry has been dominated, if only in terms of F revenue and mindshare, by a tandem of globally operating game publish- ers and game console platform holders. Historically, these two small groups of industrial actors, primarily located in North America and Japan, have been ‘dominant forces’ in the game industry (Consalvo 2007, 123). Similarly, Johns (2006) notes that power relationships in the game hardware and software production networks are uneven and are affected by temporal and spatial dimensions. Driven by the cyclical introduction of new hardware platforms, the platform/publisher duo served a relatively stable, highly lucrative niche market (Williams 2002; Kerr 2006). Every fi ve to seven years, development and marketing budgets increase and, as a result, so do fi nancial risks and the distribution of capital and power (Schilling 2003). Geographically, the main centers for console game development have been North America, Western Europe and the Asia Pacifi c (Johns 2006). That is to say, the majority of the billions of dollars of value generated by the sale of video game hardware and software has been captured by a small number of globally operating fi rms who have a high rate of incumbency.
    [Show full text]
  • DISTRIBUTING PRODUCTIVE PLAY: a MATERIALIST ANALYSIS of STEAM Daniel Joseph Doctor of Philosophy Ryerson University, 2017
    DISTRIBUTING PRODUCTIVE PLAY: A MATERIALIST ANALYSIS OF STEAM by Daniel Joseph Master of Arts, Ryerson University and York University, Toronto, Ontario 2011 Bachelor of Arts, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, 2009 A dissertation presented to Ryerson University and York University in partial fulfillment for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the program of Communication and Culture Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2017 © Daniel Joseph, 2017 AUTHOR'S DECLARATION FOR ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION OF A DISSERTATION I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this dissertation. This is a true copy of the dissertation, including any required final revisions, as accepted by my examiners. I authorize Ryerson University to lend this dissertation to other institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly research. I further authorize Ryerson University to reproduce this dissertation by photocopying or by other means, in total or in part, at the request of other institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly research. I understand that my dissertation may be made electronically available to the public. ii Abstract DISTRIBUTING PRODUCTIVE PLAY: A MATERIALIST ANALYSIS OF STEAM Daniel Joseph Doctor of Philosophy Ryerson University, 2017 Valve Corporation’s digital game distribution platform, Steam, is the largest distributor of games on personal computers, analyzed here as a site where control over the production, design and use of digital games is established. Steam creates and exercises processes and techniques such as monopolization and enclosure over creative products, online labour, and exchange among game designers. Stuart Hall’s encoding/decoding framework places communication at the centre of the political economy, here of digital commodities distributed and produced by online platforms like Steam.
    [Show full text]
  • Gaming Or Gambling: Quiz
    Gaming or Gambling: Quiz Q1: How many 11-16-year-olds in the UK have gambled in the last year? ❏ A) 28.2% ❏ B) 39% ❏ C) 44% Q2: Which of the below is NOT a gambling-like feature found in games? ❏ A) Downloadable Content (DLC) ❏ B) Skin gambling ❏ C) Loot boxes Q3: How many children and young people in the UK have spent money on loot boxes? ❏ A) 7.1% ❏ B) 19.3% ❏ C) 31% Q4: Why is the risk of being exposed to gambling-like features higher in free-to-play games? ❏ A) Since the games are free to download, the chance of being exposed to loot boxes is much higher ❏ B) Free-to-play games have advertisements in them to keep them free and often feature ads for online casinos ❏ C) It isn’t. Games which are advertised as free-to-play are not permitted by law to charge for content Q5: How do children spend money in games? ❏ A) Normal currencies, like pounds, are not accepted, so players have to use cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin ❏ B) Connect a voucher or debit card and pay real money or convert money into virtual currency ❏ C) They don’t - Once you’ve bought a game, you automatically have access to all the features In partnership with GambleAware Q6: How can children buy paid-for virtual currencies? ❏ A) They have to ask their parents’ permission and use their debit card ❏ B) They can use prepaid vouchers that don’t always require age verification, in addition to debit cards ❏ C) Under-18s are not allowed to buy virtual currencies so children won’t be able to buy them Q7: What is the name of the virtual currency used in the popular online game Fortnite?
    [Show full text]
  • A Brief History of Esports Betting and Skin Gambling
    A brief history of esports betting and skin gambling What this article is about Electronic sports (esports) are competitive video Why is this article important? game matches. Esports are like professional sports. This article reviews and summarizes current The matches take place between skilled players or knowledge on electronic sports (esports) and skin teams. They can be viewed online or in-person with betting. The research highlights the increasing large audiences. Esports are organized events and its popularity of these newer forms of gambling. It athletes can take on celebrity status. shows that young males are more likely to engage Esports has existed since the 1980s. It has grown in esports and skin betting. Young people are also exponentially since 2011 with the launch of Twitch. exposed to advertisements for these activities. Twitch is a live-streaming platform for esports. In Esports and skin gambling may increase problem 2019, there were 454 million viewers and esports gambling. This article highlights the changes in made a total of $1.1 billion. Individuals who watch esports and skin gambling market. It also discusses esports tend to be younger and male. industry and government responses to concerns about these activities, particularly related to Today, many sports betting companies allow people underage gambling. to bet on esports. Also, people can gamble on esports through unregulated sites using skins. Skins are virtual search covered papers published in English from 2000 video game items. They are purely cosmetic and do to March 2019. not provide in-game advantages. Skins are collectible The authors found 10 journal articles and 10 and range from common to rare.
    [Show full text]
  • Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Downloadable Content Pack Supremacy Available Now
    Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Downloadable Content Pack Supremacy Available Now Four New Multiplayer Maps, New Celebrity Performance in Fresh Exo Zombies Experience; Supremacy a Must-Have Call of Duty Experience for Fans SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Call of Duty®: Advanced Warfare Supremacy, the third DLC pack for Call of Duty®: Advanced Warfare, is available now, first on the Xbox Live online entertainment network for Xbox One and Xbox 360 games and entertainment system from Microsoft, with other platforms to follow. The content pack features four new multiplayer maps, taking players to iconic locations around the world. Published by Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard (Nasdaq: ATVI), and developed by Sledgehammer Games, Supremacy brings a new Exo Zombies adventure, and also features Exo Grapple gameplay with the four new maps to give players faster ways to gain a strategic advantage. ● Parliament: Docked on the River Thames, this military cargo ship delivers a view of the London cityscape along with a fast-paced combat experience. Mixed site-lines provide opportunities for all styles of play to dominate this medium-sized map. Players can take control of the map-based scorestreak to unleash a barrage of missiles that annihilate enemies. ● Kremlin: Gamers must prepare for intense combat in Red Square. Secure elevated positions to give the team a strategic advantage, or use exoskeleton capabilities to avoid being caught in the minefield that activates mid-match. ● Compound: Players take combat preparation to the limit in an Atlas training facility hidden away in the Colorado wilderness, as they'll have to be quick on the trigger in this small, symmetrical map, which funnels high-speed combat through tight corners to the main tower structures.
    [Show full text]
  • Pay to Play: Video Game Monetization Patents and the Doctrine of Moral Utility
    GEORGETOWN LAW TECHNOLOGY REVIEW PAY TO PLAY: VIDEO GAME MONETIZATION PATENTS AND THE DOCTRINE OF MORAL UTILITY Kirk A. Sigmon* CITE AS: 5 GEO. L. TECH. REV. 72 (2021) TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................... 72 II. THE GROWING COST OF VIDEO GAMES ................................................. 74 III. CONTROVERSIAL VIDEO GAME PATENTS ON DLC AND MICROTRANSACTIONS ................................................................................... 81 IV. THE CONTROVERSY BEHIND THE PSYCHOLOGY OF DLC AND MICROTRANSACTIONS ................................................................................... 86 V. A BRIEF HISTORY OF PATENTS AND “MORAL UTILITY” ........................ 89 VI. WHY MORAL UTILITY SHOULD NOT BE REVIVED FOR VIDEO GAMES .. 94 VII. CONCLUSION .......................................................................................... 98 I. INTRODUCTION Video games are now more complex and realistic than they ever have been—but making those games is not cheap. Video game development and marketing costs are sky high.1 To help recoup these costs, game developers and publishers have begun inventing increasingly clever ways to encourage users to spend more money on video games—and they are pursuing patents for those inventions. One recently granted patent seeks to drive in-game purchases by making multiplayer matches difficult for a player, encouraging that player to buy an item and, once that item is purchased and used, subtly rewarding the spending by making multiplayer matches easier.2 Another recently granted patent targets players more likely to spend money in-game by presenting them with exclusive spending opportunities, maximizing value * Shareholder, Banner Witcoff. Thanks to Ross A. Dannenberg, Scott M. Kelly, and Carlos Goldie for their invaluable input and assistance with this Article. 1 See infra Part II. 2 See U.S. Patent No. 9,789,406 (filed Oct. 17, 2017) [hereinafter Marr].
    [Show full text]
  • Advanced Warfare Downloadable Content Pack Reckoning
    Brace Yourself for the Final Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Downloadable Content Pack Reckoning Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare's Fourth DLC Pack Delivers Four All-New Multiplayer Maps, Return of the Exo Grapple Playlist and New Trident Reflected Energy Weapon Delivers the Epic Conclusion to Advanced Warfare's Exo Zombies saga, featuring all-star cast John Malkovich, Bill Paxton, Rose McGowan, Jon Bernthal and Bruce Campbell Reckoning Arrives First, Exclusively on Xbox August 4th SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Call of Duty®: Advanced Warfare wraps up an extraordinary DLC season with the release of the fourth and final DLC pack, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Reckoning, coming August 4 first on Xbox Live, the world's premier gaming community from Microsoft for Xbox One and Xbox 360, with other platforms to follow. Reckoning features four all-new maps that takes players from New Baghdad all the way to South Korea as they grapple their way out of ship-fired missile strikes, dodge plasma lamp explosions and boost jump off crumbling glaciers; the return of the Exo Grapple playlist and the thrilling conclusion to Exo Zombies. "We've had an absolute blast supporting the fans throughout the DLC season, and continue to come up with fun new ways to play Advanced Warfare. The support and feedback we've received from the community continues to inspire us, and we've taken that inspiration to heart with Reckoning to deliver a new set of multiplayer maps and the conclusion to Exo Zombies. We are grateful to all of our fans and hope everyone enjoys playing the new content as much as we enjoyed creating it," said Michael Condrey, Co-Founder and Studio Head, Sledgehammer Games.
    [Show full text]
  • Economic Model of Microtransactions in Video Games
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Bilingual Publishing Co. (BPC): E-Journals Journal of Economic Science Research | Volume 01 | Issue 01 | 2018 Journal of Economic Science Research http://ojs.bilpublishing.com/index.php/jesr REVIEW Economic Model of Microtransactions in Video Games Nenad Zoran Tomić* Faculty of Economics - Univesity of Kragujevac, Serbia ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Article history: Microtransactions denote a payment made for purchase of mobile phone application or addi- Received: 29 December 2018 tional content in video games. The basic revenue principle for publisher was to sell the entire Accepted: 2 January 2019 content at once, with the buyer having to pay the game as a whole. Trends from mobile ap- Published: 4 January 2019 plications and mobile games market have slowly transferred to PC games and console video games. About one half of total revenue of big video games publishers comes from micro- Keywords: transactions. The topics of this paper are the economic effects of microtransactions on video Microtransactions game industry business model. The scope of microtransactions and different implementing Freemium games procedures will be discused in paper. The goal is to determine the change of the position of all Pay-to-win stakeholders involved in the process of creating and publishing video games. Mobile games Video games 1. Introduction Due to the high cost of equipment and unavailability of professional staff, the number of companies on the supply fter initial success, the video game industry side was initially very small. With increasing demand, has undergone a great expansion in the last two more and more development studios and publishers have decades of the 20th century.
    [Show full text]