Play Off, Risk On: Examining the Gambling Behaviors of Sports Video Game Players

Although sports-themed video games (SVG) are some of the most popular and profitable video games, there is a lack of research regarding video gaming and gambling behaviors of SVG players. To date, research suggests that sports fandom may drive SVG play, as engagement in SVGs is an extension of sports consumption. Evidence also suggests that sports fandom is associated with more sports betting and other gambling. Despite these findings, research has yet to explore the differences between SVG players and non-SVG (NSVG) players across their video gaming and gambling engagement including measures of problem video gaming (PVG) and problem gambling (PG). The present study addresses this gap in the literature using online survey data from two independent samples from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk: N = 1,990, 53.1% Male; Mage = 40.14, SD = 11.80) and Academic Prolific (N = 2,212, 68.4% Male, Mage = 33.18, SD = 9.94). Results showed that SVG players had higher frequency video gaming and gambling, and greater prevalence of PVG and PG relative to NSVG players. Further, SVG players also reported higher frequency of video gaming-related gambling, such as loot box purchases and e-sports gambling, suggesting a strong overlap of video gaming and gambling among SVG players. This is the first study to show a significant risk for SVG players in terms of PG. The discussion focuses on the next steps for research.