Publicação
Is It All Just Play? Exploring Gamification and Impulsiveness in Sports Betting Apps: A Structural Model for Understanding Gamification and Impulsive Behaviour in Sports Betting Apps
| Resumo: | This study investigates the dual impact of gamification in sports betting applications, highlighting its role in enhancing user engagement while potentially fostering impulsive and risky betting behaviours. By integrating the Hedonic-Motivation System Adoption Model (HMSAM) with the Online Impulse Buying Model, an innovative theoretical model is presented and tested with quantitative data from 140 respondents from a European country using structural equation model (SEM). The findings demonstrate that emotional factors, especially joy and gamified design features significantly influence focused immersion, which in turn drives impulsive urges and actual betting behaviour. Individual traits such as impulsiveness, app-based design features, and emotional triggers all emerged as statistically significant predictors of use, highlighting the joint contribution of personal and environmental factors. This study not only contributes to understanding the behavioural mechanics of digital gambling environments but also offers practical insights for developers, policymakers, and public health advocates looking for a balanced solution between innovation and ethical responsibility in the growing, and increasingly relevant, online sports betting industry. The originality of this study lies in its integration of two established behavioural models to analyse a rapidly evolving digital domain. By applying this combined framework specifically to sports betting apps, the study delivers a fresh and appropriate contribution to research on digital engagement and behavioural risk. Given the growing accessibility of mobile betting platforms and the persuasive nature of gamified design, this study gains relevance as it addresses a behavioural phenomenon with potential public health consequences that may call for future regulation. |
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| Autores principais: | Jantarada, Diogo Peres |
| Assunto: | Gamification Sports Betting Apps Impulsiveness User Immersion Mobile Gambling SDG 3 - Good health and well-being SDG 16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions |
| Ano: | 2025 |
| País: | Portugal |
| Tipo de documento: | dissertação de mestrado |
| Tipo de acesso: | acesso aberto |
| Instituição associada: | Universidade Nova de Lisboa |
| Idioma: | inglês |
| Origem: | Repositório Institucional da UNL |
| Resumo: | This study investigates the dual impact of gamification in sports betting applications, highlighting its role in enhancing user engagement while potentially fostering impulsive and risky betting behaviours. By integrating the Hedonic-Motivation System Adoption Model (HMSAM) with the Online Impulse Buying Model, an innovative theoretical model is presented and tested with quantitative data from 140 respondents from a European country using structural equation model (SEM). The findings demonstrate that emotional factors, especially joy and gamified design features significantly influence focused immersion, which in turn drives impulsive urges and actual betting behaviour. Individual traits such as impulsiveness, app-based design features, and emotional triggers all emerged as statistically significant predictors of use, highlighting the joint contribution of personal and environmental factors. This study not only contributes to understanding the behavioural mechanics of digital gambling environments but also offers practical insights for developers, policymakers, and public health advocates looking for a balanced solution between innovation and ethical responsibility in the growing, and increasingly relevant, online sports betting industry. The originality of this study lies in its integration of two established behavioural models to analyse a rapidly evolving digital domain. By applying this combined framework specifically to sports betting apps, the study delivers a fresh and appropriate contribution to research on digital engagement and behavioural risk. Given the growing accessibility of mobile betting platforms and the persuasive nature of gamified design, this study gains relevance as it addresses a behavioural phenomenon with potential public health consequences that may call for future regulation. |
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