The purpose of this study was to examine the links between financial gambling motives, perceived deprivation, and socioeconomic status in predicting problem gambling. Perceived deprivation refers to the belief that one is financially worse off than others. A sample of 2,806 American adults was recruited using YouGov Opinion Polling in 2022. The sample was matched to the U.S. norms for age, gender, education, census region, and race/ethnicity based on the 2019 American Community Survey. The respondents completed a questionnaire asking about annual income, perceived deprivation, gambling problems, and gambling motives.
Overall, this study found that financial gambling motives were linked to more severe gambling problems. Respondents with higher levels of perceived deprivation were more likely to have financial gambling motives and lower income. Lower income and perceived deprivation were linked to more severe gambling problems. Income did not influence whether financial gambling motives increased the risk of problem gambling. But perceived deprivation influenced whether financial gambling motives increased the risk of problem gambling. Among respondents with high levels of perceived deprivation, gambling for financial reasons was more strongly associated with problem gambling.
