Global: A peek into gambling attitudes

Rishad Dsouza
July 07, 2021, 8:43 AM GMT+0

As industry players chase international growth, our new tool – YouGov Global Gambling Profiles – sheds light on the biggest gambling markets around the world, as well as the differences in gambler behavior and attitudes. YouGov Global Gambling Profiles continuously collects data in 24 countries to allow users unique, real-time insights into how much the world gambles and why.

Gambling for enjoyment: Where is betting enjoyed most?

YouGov Global Gambling Profiles data provides marketers with insights into people’s attitudes towards gambling right around the world. Today, we can reveal which countries enjoy betting the most.

Our data reveals that more than one in two (56%) adults in South Africa say they “really enjoy betting”, compared with just 21% globally.

Poland (30%), Portugal (31%), Brazil (24%) and India (25%) are some of the other markets where a significant proportion of adults say they really enjoy betting.

Fantasy sports is popular across the world

The tool also gives us an insight in the modes of gambling that are the most popular in each market. Sports betting as a broad category is a favourite in almost all markets. But the preferences for different sub-categories of sports-based gambling are highly varied. Let’s take a closer look at the popularity of fantasy sports and esports betting in each market.

There seems to be a much higher appetite for these new formats of gambling in emerging markets like Brazil, India, Mexico and South Africa. In Brazil, where 39% of consumers say they would place more bets if it was easier to do so, a high share of consumers express interest in esports (30%) and fantasy sports (27%) betting as well. The opposite is true in more-established gambling markets such as the UK and Denmark, where far fewer people also appear to be impeded by a lack of ease in placing bets.

Fantasy sports – a more interactive form of sports gambling – has gained increasing visibility in some markets in recent years. We take a broader look at this relatively novel form of sports betting.

South Africa seems to be the biggest untapped market for fantasy sports, especially when you combine this data with the insight that 57% of South Africans say they would bet more if it were easier to do so. Again, developing markets like India show a high interest in fantasy sports generally, while more mature markets like the US, Australia and the UK all fall around the global average

Consumer preferences: Knowing what’s important to gamblers

So when people have decided to gamble, what informs their bet?

Data from Global Gambling Profiles reveals that that a large share of gamblers – two-fifths of them – cite fun and enjoyment as an important factor when placing bets. Three in ten gamblers (30%) cite favourable odds as a factor they consider important when placing a bet, while over a quarter (27%) of them are driven by hunches.

Pertinently for marketers, one in five (20%) of those who place money on bets say that available promotions are an important factor when they think of gambling.

Methodology: YouGov Global Gambling Profiles, which includes data from 24 countries, is based on continuously collected data from several sources, rather than from a single limited questionnaire. Data referenced is based on a sample size of between 1,661 to 2,102 adults. Online interviews were conducted in April 2021.