The role of Twitch betting on gambling behaviours amongst esport spectators

Thompson, Jamie

Abstract

Online gamers can gamble non-monetary virtual points and tokens in exchange for rewards with monetary value. This paper sets out to test the antecedent factors influencing the consumption of non-monetary gambling features on Twitch (an esport streaming service) and the extent to which this influences gambling behaviours. Through a survey of 312 Twitch spectators, this paper finds esport fans' competitiveness, impulsivity, sensation-seeking, fate control, and socialisation all influence consumption of Twitch's betting feature. Further, the results show a positive relationship between non-monetary betting via Twitch and monetary gambling behaviour. Indeed, over 60% of the survey sample perceive that Twitch non-monetary betting had increased their gambling intentions with 53% stating it has increased the amount they gamble. Therefore, there is a blurred line between online gaming and gambling, which has implications for the mental health, well-being, and financial security of esport fans.

Citation

Thompson, J. (2022). The role of Twitch betting on gambling behaviours amongst esport spectators. In Proceedings of the European Marketing Academy (EMAC) 2022

• Conference Name: EMAC
• Conference Location: Corvinus University, Budapest
• Start Date: May 24, 2022
• End Date: May 27, 2022
• Acceptance Date: Mar 9, 2022
• Online Publication Date: May 24, 2022
• Publication Date: May 24, 2022
• Deposit Date: Jul 8, 2022
• Book Title: Proceedings of the European Marketing Academy (EMAC) 2022
• Keywords: Gambling; esports; consumption
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/2874974