Online or Casino Gambling - Research Paper Example

Gambling survey to determine the different perceptions and importance levels of various factors that influence the choice of online or casino venues.Demographic factors M/F Age _____ Ethnicity _____ Frequency of gambling _____ (Hours per year) Please respond to the following statements regarding factors that differentiate the experience of online gambling relative to gambling at a casino venue. For each statement, indicate your level of agreement, with “1” equaling “agree completely” and “7” equaling disagree completely.” 1. Online gambling is more convenient than casino gambling because it can be done wherever there is a computer, while casino gambling requires that you personally go to the casino. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Agree Agree Agree Unsure Disagree Disagree Disagree Completely Mostly Somewhat Somewhat Mostly Completely 2. Online gambling allows one to spend more absolute time gambling, rather than having to go through the preparation to gamble (travel, parking, getting dressed for a night out, etc.) that casino gambling involves. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Agree Agree Agree Unsure Disagree Disagree Disagree Completely Mostly Somewhat Somewhat Mostly Completely 3. Online gambling does not permit the social interaction that is part of the casino gambling experience. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Agree Agree Agree Unsure Disagree Disagree Disagree Completely Mostly Somewhat Somewhat Mostly Completely 4. Online gambling allows a person to protect privacy by gambling in secret, relative to casino gambling. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Agree Agree Agree Unsure Disagree Disagree Disagree Completely Mostly Somewhat Somewhat Mostly Completely 5. Online gambling is more likely to involve addiction than casino gambling because of its easy access. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Agree Agree Agree Unsure Disagree Disagree Disagree Completely Mostly Somewhat Somewhat Mostly Completely 6. Online gambling is easier to fit into one’s schedule or daily routine than casino gambling. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Agree Agree Agree Unsure Disagree Disagree Disagree Completely Mostly Somewhat Somewhat Mostly Completely 7. Online gambling has less legitimacy than casino gambling because of its lack of regulation. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Agree Agree Agree Unsure Disagree Disagree Disagree Completely Mostly Somewhat Somewhat Mostly Completely 8. Online gambling has less to do with brand loyalty than casino gambling. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Agree Agree Agree Unsure Disagree Disagree Disagree Completely Mostly Somewhat Somewhat Mostly Completely 9. Online gambling allows one to control the experience of gambling to a greater degree than casino gambling. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Agree Agree Agree Unsure Disagree Disagree Disagree Completely Mostly Somewhat Somewhat Mostly Completely 10. Online gambling is more relaxed than casino gambling because it can be done in familiar settings and out of the public eye. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Agree Agree Agree Unsure Disagree Disagree Disagree Completely Mostly Somewhat Somewhat Mostly Completely 11. Thank you for your response to the statements above. Now please rank the following factors in the list below according to their importance for you in choosing a gambling venue, with “1” being the most important factor from the list and “6” being the least important factor. Rank Factor _____ Proximity and/or ease of access _____ Time afforded for gambling compared to time spent in preparation _____ Protection of privacy _____ Social interaction _____ Addiction _____ Comfort and familiarity Explanation I developed my survey as a means of addressing the different factors that influence the choice of either online gambling or casino gambling as a preferred venue. This addresses the business research problem stated in my research proposal directly, by providing feedback from consumers engaged in gambling regarding the factors that drive the choices they make. While casinos are worried that online shops are cannibalizing their customers, this may or may not be the case. It may simply be that the two segments serve different types of client. My survey instrument will help to find out which is accurate. I developed my survey with statements that were oriented to provide a variety of competitive advantages that each type of venue might espouse as part of its business model (revolving around such considerations as convenience of access afforded by the venues or the total experience involved). I drew the statements from a careful reading of the research literature regarding consumer choices for gambling motivations (Belk, Guliz, and Soren, 2003; Cotte, and Latour,2009, Cotte, 1997). Some of the items were developed to present a statement that seemed to indicate an advantage for online gambling while others were written to indicate an apparent advantage for casino gambling. The statements were alternated in random order on the survey instrument. This was done to make the respondents consider each question separately on its face as an independent unit, rather than merely falling into a pattern of saying yes (or no) to all questions that seemed to favor online versus casino gambling (or vice versa). This will ensure that the responses to the questions are more immediate and authentic, more response-driven than pattern-driven. The responses were ordered in a Likert-scale coding scheme with respondent options ranging from “1” meaning complete agreement and “7” meaning complete disagreement. Following these question/statements, the survey instrument attempts to determine the factors that are most specific to the individual respondents’ reasons for choosing a gambling venue, with a ranking of six factors drawn from the research literature. It is possible that respondents see one venue or another as being better or worse, and still choose to gamble at another venue. For example, a respondent may completely agree in theory that online gambling affords better access and more convenience, but he may like the experience of being in a casino for the social interaction. Question 11 is designed to determine what specifically makes a person chose to gamble, where and how they do. By measuring these two different types of data it is believed that the survey instrument will provide information that affords insight into both the common perceptions and opinions regarding the different competitive advantages that online gambling and casino gambling afford, as well as the more personal reactions of gamblers regarding whether they actually act on those perceptions and choose venues that meet their own estimates of which sites are best, and for which reasons. Casinos may use the data and analysis gathered from this research to make decisions about how to approach customers and how to stress their competitive advantages. It is believed that the survey instrument therefore addresses the research question adequately with the ultimate provision of information –following survey administration and analysis – that will be useful for guiding decision-making for developing the experience of gambling on both different types of sites, as well as for marketing the two approaches to customers who are likely to respond. I have use ordinal level variables throughout due to the basic familiarity that respondents are likely to have with such survey instruments. I believe that this survey instrument will be readily recognizable and easy to work with will therefore yield higher response rates. Further, the ordinal level data will afford suitable flexibility for analysis in an exploratory study of this type. The ethical concerns of administering my survey instrument include making certain that adequate record-keeping and transparency are maintained throughout. Further, it may be useful to have expert review of the survey instrument and a possible test-retest with a small sample in order to determine reliability and validity. With proper concern for ensuring that the survey is administered in a professional and courteous manner, I believe the survey instrument will be useful for addressing the business problem. Belk, Russell W., Guliz Ger, and Soren Askegaard (2003), “The Fire of Desire: A Multisited Inquiry into Consumer Passion,” Journal of Consumer Research, 30 (December), 326–51. Cotte, June (1997), “Chances, Trances, and Lots of Slots: Gambling Motives and Consumption Experiences,” Journal of Leisure Research, 29 (4), 380–406. Cotte, J., & Latour, K. (2009). Blackjack in the Kitchen: Understanding Online Versus Casino Gambling. Journal of Consumer Research, 35( 5), 742-758. Retrieved on August1, 2011 at http://igi.unlv.edu/pdf/articles/cotte_latour.pdf Read More