Winning money is the most common reason people report as to why they gamble. But, the role of financial motives in gambling research has often been overlooked. In this article, the researchers reviewed previous studies and performed a meta-analysis to summarize the relationship between financial motives and gambling frequency. They also summarized the relationship between financial motives and problem gambling. The researchers identified 44 studies, with the number of participants ranging between 22 and 5,666 participants. Financial motives were positively associated with both gambling frequency and problem gambling. These positive associations remained significant when controlling for other gambling motives. Studies that used the Gambling Motives Questionnaire-Financial and younger participants found a stronger relationship between financial motives and gambling frequency.
