Journal of Gambling Studies

, Volume 27, Issue 1, pp 129–143 | Cite as

Gambling Accessibility: A Scale to Measure Gambler Preferences

  • Susan M. Moore
  • Anna C. Thomas
  • Michael Kyrios
  • Glen Bates
  • Denise Meredyth
Original Paper
First Online:

Abstract

Geographic closeness of gambling venues is not the only aspect of accessibility likely to affect gambling frequency. Perceived accessibility of gambling venues may include other features such as convenience (e.g., opening hours) or “atmosphere”. The aim of the current study was to develop a multidimensional measure of gamblers’ perceptions of accessibility, and present evidence for its reliability and validity. We surveyed 303 gamblers with 43 items developed to measure different dimensions of accessibility. Factor analysis of the items produced a two factor solution. The first, Social Accessibility related to the level at which gambling venues were enjoyed because they were social places, provided varying entertainment options and had a pleasant atmosphere. The second factor, Accessible Retreat related to the degree to which venues were enjoyed because they were geographically and temporally available and provided a familiar and anonymous retreat with few interruptions or distractions. Both factors, developed as reliable subscales of the new Gambling Access Scale, demonstrated construct validity through their correlations with other gambling-related measures. Social Accessibility was moderately related to gambling frequency and amount spent, but not to problem gambling, while, as hypothesised, Accessible Retreat was associated with stronger urges to gamble and gambling problems.

Keywords

Gambling accessibility Gambling venues Problem gambling 
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Notes

Acknowledgement

Our thanks are due to the Victorian Government, Office of Gaming and Racing, Department of Justice (Australia), who funded this study as part of a wider research project. We would also like to thank the research assistants who worked on the project: James Williams and Angelique Brown

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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010

Authors and Affiliations

  • Susan M. Moore
    • 1
  • Anna C. Thomas
    • 1
  • Michael Kyrios
    • 1
  • Glen Bates
    • 1
  • Denise Meredyth
    • 1
  1. 1.Faculty of Life and Social SciencesSwinburne University of TechnologyHawthornAustralia

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