Part 2 of a 3-Part Series
New research shows that the Netherlands is home to nearly half a million online gamblers.
Through a study ordered by the Netherlands Gaming Control Board, Motivaction International found that 487,000 Dutch citizens between the ages of 18 and 55 (5.3 of percent the Dutch population of 16.4 million) participated in paid Internet gaming in 2004.
The research focused on the Dutch Internet and SMS gaming markets and entailed an Internet-based questionnaire filled out by 7,670 Dutch Internet users between 18 and 55. The study is conducted on a yearly basis, with the goal in 2004 being to monitor the nature and scope of the market and gauge the extent of problematic behavior.
Participation in paid e-gaming is highest among young men with low incomes--a profile that is similar to that of participants in other, more traditional high-risk games of chance, although the amount of e-gamblers remains relatively small.
Real-money Internet games are typically played on a weekly or monthly basis, and playing time usually does not exceed half an hour. The Motivaction study shows that turnover for e-gaming is generally high, but that long-term participation is not common.
Participants spend on average 35 euros per month on interactive gaming. Yearly spending in the Dutch Internet gaming market is estimated to be 144 million euro.
This year's study also serves as a second measurement of problematic behavior associated with Internet gambling. Twenty-five percent of participants are at risk of problematic behavior, while 4 percent show actual problematic behavior.
Mobile Gambling
The 2004 study showed that 37 percent of the sample have participated in SMS and/or telephone gaming in the past 12 months (translating to 3.4 million Dutch citizens). The games, reports Motivaction, are mostly played by women with a low income and little education.
Fifty-three percent of participants started playing SMS or telephone games in the past two months; 30 percent have been playing them for two years or longer. Telephone gamers spend about 36 million euro on telephone gaming per year.
Seventy-six percent of the participants in SMS or telephone gaming knew beforehand what the games would cost them, while 6 percent were not aware of the costs.
Additionally, 17 percent of SMS/telephone games were determined to be at risk of problematic behavior, while 3 percent could be characterized as showing actual problematic behavior. These characterizations should be viewed in the light that a problematic player on average would not spend more than 50 euros a year on these kind of games.
Source: The Dutch Gaming Board