Gamblers Vs. Non-Gamblers: Not the Difference You Might Expect
Two U.S. nationwide surveys, The Roper Reports by Roper ASW and the U.S. Gaming Panel by NFO WorldGroup Inc., combined to form the basis of the Profile of the American Casino Gambler: Harrah's Survey 2002. The study aimed to highlight the differences between gamblers and non-gamblers on a variety of issues--and the results were not stereotypical for the groups.
For instance, gamblers exhibit a higher median income ($49,753) than the overall population ($41,343) and, contradictory to the common image of lower-income people gambling more, 35 percent of those with incomes over $95,000 gamble as opposed to only 22 percent of those with incomes less than $35,000.
Gamblers also are more inclined to invest in retirement accounts and be more secure about their financial future. Fifty-seven percent of gamblers invested in a retirement program during a 12-month period as opposed to 43 percent of non-gamblers.
"The results of this survey disprove a number of longstanding myths about casino players," said Gary Loveman, Harrah's president and COO. "The findings demonstrate that casino players have broad appetites for life-enriching experiences, are financially stable and responsible and are active in political and community life."
UK Study Shows Women Widening Their Betting Options
Research by Teletext racing in the United Kingdom credits the lottery with expanding betting habits among women and widening the variety of bets women are placing.
Casting aside the traditional assertion of women betting on bingo exclusively, the research finds that almost half of the U.K. female population is casting bets on a range of things, from horses to reality TV shows. Bettors on the reality show "Big Brother" were twice as likely to be female than male. The research suggests men stick with more traditional bets on sports like football.
The editor of Teletext racing, John Blake, said: "Our research suggests a clear shift in female betting habits. It's not as intimidating as it once was to walk into a betting shop and the advent of the internet means you can place a stake at your desk. Women are taking a scientific approach to betting--female take-up of our Web and SMS update services is high as women aim to arm themselves with the form."
Women may be increasing their range of bet options, but they're still relatively frugal with their money. The majority of women--91 percent--spend less than £5 per bet.
Hungarians Wary of Online Shopping
A global e-commerce survey conducted by TLS Modus found that Hungarians remain skeptical about purchasing goods and services online.
The online population of Hungary is slight compared to the global average, with only 10 percent of Hungarians classified as regular Internet users as opposed to the global average of 34 percent. But of that already small portion, only three percent can be considered online shoppers.
Fear of credit card fraud seems to be the main hindrance to online shopping among Hungarians. Product information and service searches are the main draws to the Internet with almost half of the online population citing these as the primary functions of the Web.
Macao Sees Influx of New Businesses
The Statistics and Census Services released numbers this week that indicate a significant increase of new businesses establishing themselves in Macao in the second quarter of this year.
With an economic recovery underway and the expectation of a more relaxed and liberalized gambling industry, Macao had 321 new companies set up shop there in three months of 2002--a 59 percent increase from the same quarter last year.
Investment dollars came primarily from Macao itself, Hong Kong, inland China and Britain. Forty-one percent of the new companies were recorded as wholesale and retail sales.