Here at EilersResearch.com, gambling statistics are our bread and butter. Due to the sheer size of the gambling industry, to get a full picture of industry trends, the behaviours of stakeholders, and the volume of the participants, gambling statistics are crucial in getting an overview of what is happening across the industry.
This is pertinent to our mission as a company which is to provide useful information for those involved in the gambling industry to gain further knowledge about the area in which they operate. On this page, we will divulge to you some general information about gambling statistics, the areas of gambling statistics we look at, and how you can use gambling statistics.
What are Online Gambling Statistics?
Gambling statistics are numerical figures that calculate the behaviours, activities and practices of the various different areas of the gambling industry. The way they can be calculated is via wide-reaching research methods that garner a large enough response in which to represent the general market sentiment at any given time.
As we well know, the casino industry is massive and so asking every single gambler, operator, technology provider or regulator would be impossible. But when it comes to gambling statistics, they will give a general opinion of a select section of the industry which can then be effectively applied to the industry at large.
Gambling statistics ultimately give us an insight into what is happening in the gambling industry in a figure that represents reality as closely as possible. Gambling statistics would then be used by those hoping to understand the levels of gambling and trends in the market.
Areas of Gambling Statistics
The term gambling statistics is one that could cover pretty much any area of the world of gambling but there are a few areas that are of most interest for stakeholders in the gambling industry. These are:
Financial Gambling Statistics
These would focus on the levels of money spent within the gambling industry. It might include the level of money spent by different demographics, such as a nation or continent, or the comparison between fields of gambling, i.e. casino vs sports betting or slots vs live casino. Generally, though, financial gambling statistics look at the value of the gambling industry and analyses the lucrativeness of it and its different parts.
Human Gambling Statistics
These would focus on the human factor in the gambling industry and focus a great deal on demographics. They would look towards the most popular ages of gamblers, gambler’s genders, their background, and anything else that defines a gambler in a human sense. Human Gambling Statistics gives an insight into who is playing games and also why they are playing them.
Behavioural
Behavioural gambling statistics could be argued to be one of the most important areas of gambling statistics. This focuses on how and in which ways people are gambling. It can look at how long players gamble, what are players betting on, and what areas of gambling do players enjoy the most. This ultimately helps understand the behaviour of gamblers.
Functions of Gambling Statistics
Depending on the role a stakeholder plays within the gambling industries, the functions of gambling statistics will be different. These are as follows:
Casino Operators
The main purpose of gambling statistics would be to understand who they are offering their services too. This can then help them decide on where to offer their services, how they should define their marketing strategies, and what services they should be offering on their platform. With the help of gambling statistics, they can provide a better all-round service.
Game Technology Providers
Game providers would use gambling statistics to ensure they develop the technologies and games that are sought after by the players. For example, if the market sentiment shown by gambling statistics indicates slots are the most popular choice for playing, then they can focus on developing more games in this area. They can also use them to improve their existing games to have features that players want or need.
Authoritative Bodies
Authoritative bodies can use gambling statistics to make sure that casino operators and technology providers offer an adequate service that is fair and just. They can use gambling statistics to target any problems in the industry, highlight positives, and amend their regulations appropriately. The authoritative bodies’ main use for gambling statistics would be the player’s welfare.
The Players
Understanding the industry they are playing within can help the players make better decisions while gambling. While many players would pay no attention to gambling statistics, they should do as understanding the financial and behavioural side of the industry particularly can help them keep their gambling in check.
How are Gambling Statistics Created
Gambling statistics will be created by three main parties:
- National statistics– these will be the statistics generated by the government of a nation to understand the level of gambling within their population.
- Specialist gambling research bodies– these are third-party non-governmental organisations created with the purpose to help the gambling industry grow and adapt. We are an example of these types of organisations.
- Other research bodies– these will be more general research organisations, perhaps independent researchers, universities, or research centres, who create gambling statistics as part of a wider body of research.
The most common ways to gather gambling statistics are:
- Surveys– surveys are the best way to accumulate a large body of gambling statistics and will be a questionnaire which stakeholders can fill in and provide answers to. These can be distributed via email or on websites and give a larger reach of respondents.
- Web analytics– by analysing betting websites’ analytics, it is possible to get a feel for the number of players visiting certain betting sites, their profile and their behaviours. This requires very little outreach and most casinos or tech providers will have this information on hand.
- Focus groups– focus groups will invite a selection of members of the casino industry to a meeting where they will discuss a specific subject. This will give a general idea of people’s thoughts and feelings about gambling behaviours via debate.
- Interviews– a less common option is interviews. In these, researchers conduct a series of interviews with members of the gambling community. This is much more time-consuming and also provides a lower reach but can be very useful in understanding views of a smaller section of the community – the CEOs of gambling companies, for example.