US Researchers Receive $300,000 Grant to Study Gambling Behavior After Losses

^{West Virginia University campus in Morgantown / © Shutterstock}

Researchers at the John Chambers College of Business and Economics at West Virginia University have received a grant of nearly $300,000 to study how people behave after losing money through gambling, the university’s press service said. The funding was provided by the US philanthropic organization Arnold Ventures.

The researchers want to determine when gamblers try to win back their losses and begin taking greater risks.

To do this, they will analyze real-world data that the university receives from gambling operators in West Virginia.

The study will use data from both sports betting and online casino games. Particular attention will be paid to sports betting, especially parlays — wagers that combine several selections, all of which must win for the bet to pay out.

According to the university, parlays account for nearly 90% of all sports bets placed in the state.

The researchers will examine how a loss affects a person’s subsequent behavior, including whether they bet more frequently, increase their stake sizes or choose riskier options. They will also study cases in which a bettor narrowly misses out on a win, for example when all but one leg of a parlay is successful.

The goal of the project is to identify signs of dangerous loss-chasing behavior.

The findings could eventually help operators identify risky gambling behavior earlier and take steps to reduce potential financial harm.

The university expects the project to provide a foundation for further research into gambling behavior and help establish West Virginia University as one of the leading research centers in the field.