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Determinants of Internet Poker Adoption

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Abstract

In nearly all jurisdictions, adoption of a new form of gambling has been a controversial and contentious subject. Online gambling has been no different, though there are many aspects that affect online gambling that do not appear in the brick and mortar environment. This study seeks to identify whether demographic, economic, political, technological, and/or sociological determinants contribute to online poker gambling adoption. A theoretical discussion of these categories’ importance to online poker is provided and exploratory empirical analysis is used to examine their potential validity. The analysis revealed support for all of the proposed categories of variables thought to be predictive of online gambling legality.

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Notes

  1. At the time of this writing, Cyprus grants online gambling licenses under current law but Government is actively discussing tightening their regulations.

  2. Concern that Atlantic City was drawing Pennsylvania residents and their disposable income away from the state was among the primary drivers of expanded gaming in Pennsylvania.

  3. See, for example, Sierory’s (2011) summary of the online poker panel at the 2011 iGaming North America Conference.

  4. In particular, the US and Canada were coded on this basis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 4505 Maryland Parkway, Box 456037, Las Vegas, NV, 89154, USA

    Kahlil S. Philander

  2. William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 4505 Maryland Parkway, Box 456017, Las Vegas, NV, 89154, USA

    B. Lillian Abarbanel

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  1. Kahlil S. Philander
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  2. B. Lillian Abarbanel
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Correspondence to Kahlil S. Philander.

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Philander, K.S., Abarbanel, B.L. Determinants of Internet Poker Adoption. J Gambl Stud 30, 609–623 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-013-9382-9

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