Collaborative gambling refers to online interactions between gamblers who take part in activities such as betting or playing multiplayer casino games with each other, which may influence both their gambling habits and digital wellbeing. These experiences may have profound effects on all involved.
Social interaction is central to both gambling and gaming, according to research. Participation in virtual communities influences gambling behavior as well as purchase intentions for probability-based items (Gainsbury et al. 2015).
Social interaction
Virtual gambling and gaming communities provide their members with social spaces to meet a fundamental human need for belonging, while offering consumption-related benefits such as engaging with other players and earning monetary rewards (Boellstorff 2015; Preece 2000). While gambling and gaming communities play a pivotal role in user behavior studies, extensive studies of how such communities affect user behaviors remain lacking.
Communities centered on online platforms such as discussion forums and social network sites often include in-game interaction tools that facilitate gambling (Khazaal et al. 2017; Schull 2016; Smith et al. 2012) as well as video game play (Gainsbury et al. 2015). Although these interactions share similarities in their motivations, goals, and outcomes.
Cross-sector collaboration is a crucial aspect of responsible gambling, but the challenges can be considerable. This is particularly the case for Gambler’s Help services which may lack the resources and knowledge to collaborate effectively across sectors. To address these concerns, RG Plus created a stakeholder insights project designed to strengthen collaborative efforts; its outcome being practice guidelines for health and welfare agencies working with Gambler’s Help, available as Cross-sector Collaboration: Implications for Gambler’s Help publication.
Cooperative play
Sports and betting have increasingly come together, with teams and leagues entering partnerships with gambling operators. Such collaboration provides both parties with benefits – sports organizations gain visibility to official data while betting companies gain customer engagement increases. Furthermore, partnerships like this provide an avenue for responsible gaming initiatives as well as facilitate scientific research which informs policy decisions on gambling regulation and policies.
Even though gambling and gaming communities vary considerably, both share important aspects of community life online: mutual goals, shared interests, norms and virtual spaces that offer users virtual spaces to fulfill their need to belong and form social ties. Furthermore, gaming and gambling communities may help normalize these activities (Blackburn et al. 2014; Boellstorff 2015).
However, in the gambling sector a conflict exists between stakeholders’ competing interests. Governments shape legal frameworks for gambling and enforce gambling-related laws while industry operators try to maximize profit and revenue by offering customers diverse betting options. As a result, pursuit of profits conflicts with minimizing harms and social impacts of policy strategies leading to less than optimal policy strategies being employed.
Betting experience
Multiplayer games often incorporate betting elements, and including them in the overall gaming experience can enhance player satisfaction. But to make betting truly successful requires careful decision-making, an in-depth understanding of individual needs, and an enthusiastic competitive spirit – these factors must all come together in harmony for success.
To ensure a thrilling and engaging betting experience, it is vital for players to have control of their own odds and wagers. An online casino or betting site offering a variety of games allows this freedom; players will feel more assured in their decisions and gain better knowledge about the game they are playing this way. Furthermore, safety is of utmost importance – only then can betting experience be truly enjoyable!
Virtual reality
Online casinos are increasingly taking advantage of virtual reality technology to create immersive, engaging experiences and enhance the social aspects of gambling. VR enables users to interact in a virtual space while offering numerous games and betting opportunities.
Multiplayer games provide players with an exceptional opportunity to form relationships and form friendships through competition. Their competitive nature draws players together, often for lucrative prizes; further heightening the thrill of gambling and making it even more addictive. Real-time communication with opponents enhances this experience further allowing players to swap tips or celebrate victories or commiserate losses together.
To effectively advance policies of responsible gambling and harm minimization, all stakeholders must cooperate cooperatively. Government and industry should provide more transparent funding for researchers; continuing to use data collected from analogue populations or volunteers participating in simulated gambling tasks will not yield valid and reliable extrapolations to real gamblers at real venues risking real money. Failing to adhere to principles of corporate responsibility and consumer protection could undermine social license for offering gambling products.
