Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Differential Gambling Motivations and Recreational Activity Preferences Among Casino Gamblers

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Gambling Studies Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study investigated three different types of gamblers (recreational, problem, and pathological gamblers) to determine differences in gambling motivations and recreational activity preferences among casino gamblers. We collected data from 600 gamblers recruited in an actual gambling environment inside a major casino in South Korea. Findings indicate that motivational factors of escape, sightseeing, and winning were significantly different among these three types of gamblers. When looking at motivations to visit the casino, pathological gamblers were more likely to be motivated by winning, whereas recreational gamblers were more likely to be motivated by scenery and culture in the surrounding casino area. Meanwhile, the problem gamblers fell between these two groups, indicating higher preferences for non-gambling activities than the pathological gamblers. As this study builds upon a foundational previous study by Lee et al. (Psychiatry Investig 6(3):141–149, 2009), the results of this new study were compared with those of the previous study to see if new developments within a resort-style casino contribute to changes in motivations and recreational activity preferences.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders DSM-IV-TR (4th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatry Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Back, K. J., Lee, C. K., & Stinchfield, R. (2011). Gambling motivation and passion: A comparison study of recreational and pathological gamblers. Journal of Gambling Studies, 27(3), 355–370.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bernhard, B. J., Dickens, D. R., & Shapiro, P. D. (2007). Gambling alone? A study of solitary and social gambling in America. UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal, 11(2), 1–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bernhard, B. J., Futrell, R., & Harper, A. (2009). Gambling and globalization: Sociological perspectives on ‘the House’ and ‘the Players’. Sociology Compass, 3(4), 616–629.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blue, L. (2010). Is exercise the best drug for depression? Time Inc. Retrieved from http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1998021-2,00.html. Accessed on November 10, 2014.

  • Chantal, Y., Vallerand, R. J., & Vallieres, E. F. (1995). Motivation and gambling involvement. The Journal of Social Psychology, 135(6), 755–763.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cotte, J. (1997). Chances, trances, and lots of slots: Gambling motives and consumption experiences. Journal of Leisure Research, 29(4), 380–406.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cox, B. J., Enns, M. W., & Michaud, V. (2004). Comparisons between the South Oaks Gambling Screen and a DSM-IV-based interview in a community survey of problem gambling. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 49(4), 258–264.

    Google Scholar 

  • Desai, R. A., Maciejewski, P. K., Dausey, D. J., Caldarone, B. J., & Potenza, M. N. (2004). Health correlates of recreational gambling in older adults. American Journal of Psychiatry, 161(9), 1672–1679.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dishman, R. K., & O’Connor, P. J. (2009). Lessons in exercise neurobiology: the case of endorphins. Mental Health and Physical Activity, 2(1), 4–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Driver, B. L., Brown, P. J., & Peterson, G. L. (1991). Benefits of leisure. In Preliminary drafts of the chapters in this volume were presented at a workshop of the authors in Snowbird, Utah, May 1991. PA: Venture publishing.

  • Esch, T., & Stefano, G. B. (2010). Endogenous reward mechanisms and their importance in stress reduction, exercise and the brain. Archives of Medical Science, 6(3), 447–455.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fisher, S. (1993). The pull of the fruit machine: A sociological typology of young players. The Sociological Review, 41(3), 446–474.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Freitas-Swerts, F. C., & Robazzi, M. L. (2014). The effects of compensatory workplace exercises to reduce work-related stress and musculoskeletal pain. Revista Latino Americana Enfermagem, 22(4), 629–636.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hair, J. F., Tatham, R. L., Anderson, R. E., & Black, W. (2006). Multivariate data analysis (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Prentice Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hardoon, K., Derevensky, J. L., & Gupta, R. (2003). Empirical measures vs. perceived gambling severity among youth: Why adolescent problem gamblers fail to seek treatment. Addictive Behaviors, 28(5), 933–946.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Koob, G. F. (2014). Neurocircuitry of alcohol addiction: Synthesis from animal models. Handbook of Clinical Neurology, 125, 33–54.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Korean Casino Association. (2014). Statistics of casino visitors and revenues. Seoul: Korean Casino Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lakey, C. E., Goodie, A. S., Lance, C. E., Stinchfield, R., & Winters, K. C. (2007). Examining DSM-IV criteria for pathological gambling: Psychometric properties and evidence from cognitive biases. Journal of Gambling Studies, 23(4), 479–498.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, C. K., Chung, N. H., & Bernhard, B. J. (2013). Examining the structural relationships among gambling motivation, passion, and consequences of Internet sports betting. Journal of Gambling Studies. doi:10.1007/s10899-013-9400-y.

  • Lee, C. K., Lee, B. K., Bernhard, B. J., & Lee, T. K. (2009). A comparative study of involvement and motivation among casino gamblers. Psychiatry Investigation, 6(3), 141–149.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, C. K., Lee, Y. K., Bernhard, B. J., & Yoon, Y. S. (2006). Segmenting casino gamblers by motivation: A cluster analysis of Korean gamblers. Tourism Management, 27(5), 856–866.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loroz, P. S. (2004). Golden-age gambling: Psychological benefits and self-concept dynamics in aging consumers’ consumption experiences. Psychology & Marketing, 21(5), 323–349.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Melancon, M. O., Lorrain, D., & Dionne, I. J. (2014). Changes in markers of brain serotonin activity in response to chronic exercise in senior men. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 39(11), 1250–1256.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Metheny, W. P., & Smith, R. P. (1989). The relationship among exercise, stress, and primary dysmenorrhea. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 12(6), 569–586.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Neighbors, C., Lostutter, T. W., Cronce, J. M., & Larimer, M. E. (2002). Exploring college student gambling motivation. Journal of Gambling Studies, 18(4), 361–370.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nunnally, J., & Bernstein, I. (1994). Psychometric theory. New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Platz, L., & Millar, M. (2001). Gambling in the context of other recreation activity: A quantitative comparison of casual and pathological student gamblers. Journal of Leisure Research, 33(4), 383–395.

    Google Scholar 

  • Segni, M. D., Patrono, E., Patella, L., Puglisi-Allegra, S., & Ventura, R. (2014). Animal models of compulsive eating behavior. Nutrients, 6(10), 4591–4609.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tarras, J., Singh, A., & Moufakkir, O. (2000). The profile and motivations of elderly women gamblers. UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal, 5(1), 33–46.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, S. B., Anglin, J. M., Paode, P. R., Riggert, A. G., Olive, M. F., & Conrad, C. D. (2014). Chronic stress may facilitate the recruitment of habit- and addiction-related neurocircuitries through neuronal restructuring of the striatum. Neuroscience, 280C, 231–242.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Hotel and Tourism Management, Kyung Hee University, 1, Hoegi-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, 130-701, South Korea

    Choong-Ki Lee

  2. Departments of Hotel Management and Sociology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 4505 Maryland Parkway, Box 455033, Las Vegas, NV, 89154-5033, USA

    Bo Jason Bernhard

  3. William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 4505 Maryland Parkway, Box 456023, Las Vegas, NV, 89154, USA

    Jungsun Kim

  4. UCLA Gambling Studies Program, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, 760 Westwood Ave, Room C8-887, Los Angeles, CA, 90024, USA

    Timothy Fong

  5. Department of Addiction Psychiatry, Seoul National Hospital, 398 Neung-dong Ro, Gwang-Jin Gu, Seoul, 143-711, South Korea

    Tae Kyung Lee

Authors
  1. Choong-Ki Lee
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Bo Jason Bernhard
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jungsun Kim
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Timothy Fong
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Tae Kyung Lee
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tae Kyung Lee.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Lee, CK., Bernhard, B.J., Kim, J. et al. Differential Gambling Motivations and Recreational Activity Preferences Among Casino Gamblers. J Gambl Stud 31, 1833–1847 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-014-9513-y

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-014-9513-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation