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(Mis)Comprehension and (Mistaken) Attractiveness of Financial Gambling Inducements among UK Bettors

Jamie Torrance Orcid Logo, Simon Wright, Philip Newall Orcid Logo, Tomos Crawford, Martyn Quigley Orcid Logo, Simon Dymond Orcid Logo

Journal of Gambling Studies

Swansea University Authors: Jamie Torrance Orcid Logo, Simon Wright, Martyn Quigley Orcid Logo, Simon Dymond Orcid Logo

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DOI (Published version): 10.1007/s10899-026-10491-6

Abstract

Financial gambling inducements such as ‘free’ bets and welcome bonuses involve complex wagering requirements that many consumers miscomprehend. UK regulations cap these wagering requirements at x10 (i.e., users must wager x10 the bonus before withdrawal) but don’t require worked examples to aid comp...

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Published in: Journal of Gambling Studies
ISSN: 1573-3602
Published: Springer Science and Business Media LLC 2026
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71678
first_indexed 2026-03-26T16:01:54Z
last_indexed 2026-04-22T10:16:49Z
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UK regulations cap these wagering requirements at x10 (i.e., users must wager x10 the bonus before withdrawal) but don’t require worked examples to aid comprehension. This study assessed UK bettors’ comprehension of inducement wagering requirements, whether comprehension varied by gambling severity, whether perceived attractiveness differed when worked examples were displayed, and bettors’ broader perceptions of inducements. A between-subjects, mixed-methods online experiment randomised UK bettors (n = 585) to view a welcome bonus inducement either with or without (control) a worked example detailing its wagering requirement. Participants completed measures of comprehension, perceived attractiveness, gambling severity, and qualitative questioning. Participants in the control condition significantly underestimated the inducement’s wagering requirements (p&lt;.001, r=.94), with a median estimate of £500 versus the correct value of £750. Underestimation did not differ by gambling severity. The inducement was rated significantly less attractive (p&lt;.001, η²=.18) when the worked example was displayed (M = 2.39, SD = 1.46) compared to the control (M = 3.75, SD = 1.48). However, this effect was moderated by gambling severity (B=-0.112, p=.005), with the reduction in perceived attractiveness associated with the worked example becoming smaller as gambling severity scores increased. Qualitative analysis identified three overarching perceptions of inducements: as manipulative, economically worthless, and requiring better regulation. UK bettors significantly underestimate inducements’ wagering requirements, while worked examples significantly reduce their mistaken attractiveness. 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spelling v2 71678 2026-03-26 (Mis)Comprehension and (Mistaken) Attractiveness of Financial Gambling Inducements among UK Bettors de868c4f56d8f5fbecbd686fdbb7b4b5 0000-0001-5001-4126 Jamie Torrance Jamie Torrance true false 070567bb5ce34cc7f4fa4a15fe09b404 Simon Wright Simon Wright true false 45ba0b00b12b2a4cd533dcd42f0121d9 0000-0003-4342-1369 Martyn Quigley Martyn Quigley true false 8ed0024546f2588fdb0073a7d6fbc075 0000-0003-1319-4492 Simon Dymond Simon Dymond true false 2026-03-26 PSYS Financial gambling inducements such as ‘free’ bets and welcome bonuses involve complex wagering requirements that many consumers miscomprehend. UK regulations cap these wagering requirements at x10 (i.e., users must wager x10 the bonus before withdrawal) but don’t require worked examples to aid comprehension. This study assessed UK bettors’ comprehension of inducement wagering requirements, whether comprehension varied by gambling severity, whether perceived attractiveness differed when worked examples were displayed, and bettors’ broader perceptions of inducements. A between-subjects, mixed-methods online experiment randomised UK bettors (n = 585) to view a welcome bonus inducement either with or without (control) a worked example detailing its wagering requirement. Participants completed measures of comprehension, perceived attractiveness, gambling severity, and qualitative questioning. Participants in the control condition significantly underestimated the inducement’s wagering requirements (p<.001, r=.94), with a median estimate of £500 versus the correct value of £750. Underestimation did not differ by gambling severity. The inducement was rated significantly less attractive (p<.001, η²=.18) when the worked example was displayed (M = 2.39, SD = 1.46) compared to the control (M = 3.75, SD = 1.48). However, this effect was moderated by gambling severity (B=-0.112, p=.005), with the reduction in perceived attractiveness associated with the worked example becoming smaller as gambling severity scores increased. Qualitative analysis identified three overarching perceptions of inducements: as manipulative, economically worthless, and requiring better regulation. UK bettors significantly underestimate inducements’ wagering requirements, while worked examples significantly reduce their mistaken attractiveness. These findings demonstrate how informed choice can be enhanced via worked examples. Journal Article Journal of Gambling Studies 0 Springer Science and Business Media LLC 1573-3602 Gambling; Advertising; Inducements; Incentives; Sports betting 25 3 2026 2026-03-25 10.1007/s10899-026-10491-6 COLLEGE NANME Psychology School COLLEGE CODE PSYS Swansea University Another institution paid the OA fee This study was funded by the Gambling Research, Education, and Treatment (GREAT) Centre, Swansea University. 2026-04-22T11:21:52.7529626 2026-03-26T09:29:39.9727852 Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences School of Psychology Jamie Torrance 0000-0001-5001-4126 1 Simon Wright 2 Philip Newall 0000-0002-1660-9254 3 Tomos Crawford 4 Martyn Quigley 0000-0003-4342-1369 5 Simon Dymond 0000-0003-1319-4492 6 71678__36547__5435be050d0f455f860cb97fd0535f21.pdf 71678.VoR.pdf 2026-04-22T11:18:55.7243186 Output 1056577 application/pdf Version of Record true © The Author(s) 2026. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. true eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
title (Mis)Comprehension and (Mistaken) Attractiveness of Financial Gambling Inducements among UK Bettors
spellingShingle (Mis)Comprehension and (Mistaken) Attractiveness of Financial Gambling Inducements among UK Bettors
Jamie Torrance
Simon Wright
Martyn Quigley
Simon Dymond
title_short (Mis)Comprehension and (Mistaken) Attractiveness of Financial Gambling Inducements among UK Bettors
title_full (Mis)Comprehension and (Mistaken) Attractiveness of Financial Gambling Inducements among UK Bettors
title_fullStr (Mis)Comprehension and (Mistaken) Attractiveness of Financial Gambling Inducements among UK Bettors
title_full_unstemmed (Mis)Comprehension and (Mistaken) Attractiveness of Financial Gambling Inducements among UK Bettors
title_sort (Mis)Comprehension and (Mistaken) Attractiveness of Financial Gambling Inducements among UK Bettors
author_id_str_mv de868c4f56d8f5fbecbd686fdbb7b4b5
070567bb5ce34cc7f4fa4a15fe09b404
45ba0b00b12b2a4cd533dcd42f0121d9
8ed0024546f2588fdb0073a7d6fbc075
author_id_fullname_str_mv de868c4f56d8f5fbecbd686fdbb7b4b5_***_Jamie Torrance
070567bb5ce34cc7f4fa4a15fe09b404_***_Simon Wright
45ba0b00b12b2a4cd533dcd42f0121d9_***_Martyn Quigley
8ed0024546f2588fdb0073a7d6fbc075_***_Simon Dymond
author Jamie Torrance
Simon Wright
Martyn Quigley
Simon Dymond
author2 Jamie Torrance
Simon Wright
Philip Newall
Tomos Crawford
Martyn Quigley
Simon Dymond
format Journal article
container_title Journal of Gambling Studies
container_volume 0
publishDate 2026
institution Swansea University
issn 1573-3602
doi_str_mv 10.1007/s10899-026-10491-6
publisher Springer Science and Business Media LLC
college_str Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofmedicinehealthandlifesciences
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofmedicinehealthandlifesciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
department_str School of Psychology{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences{{{_:::_}}}School of Psychology
document_store_str 1
active_str 0
description Financial gambling inducements such as ‘free’ bets and welcome bonuses involve complex wagering requirements that many consumers miscomprehend. UK regulations cap these wagering requirements at x10 (i.e., users must wager x10 the bonus before withdrawal) but don’t require worked examples to aid comprehension. This study assessed UK bettors’ comprehension of inducement wagering requirements, whether comprehension varied by gambling severity, whether perceived attractiveness differed when worked examples were displayed, and bettors’ broader perceptions of inducements. A between-subjects, mixed-methods online experiment randomised UK bettors (n = 585) to view a welcome bonus inducement either with or without (control) a worked example detailing its wagering requirement. Participants completed measures of comprehension, perceived attractiveness, gambling severity, and qualitative questioning. Participants in the control condition significantly underestimated the inducement’s wagering requirements (p<.001, r=.94), with a median estimate of £500 versus the correct value of £750. Underestimation did not differ by gambling severity. The inducement was rated significantly less attractive (p<.001, η²=.18) when the worked example was displayed (M = 2.39, SD = 1.46) compared to the control (M = 3.75, SD = 1.48). However, this effect was moderated by gambling severity (B=-0.112, p=.005), with the reduction in perceived attractiveness associated with the worked example becoming smaller as gambling severity scores increased. Qualitative analysis identified three overarching perceptions of inducements: as manipulative, economically worthless, and requiring better regulation. UK bettors significantly underestimate inducements’ wagering requirements, while worked examples significantly reduce their mistaken attractiveness. These findings demonstrate how informed choice can be enhanced via worked examples.
published_date 2026-03-25T11:21:54Z
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