Rewarding Responsible Gambling May Increase Tool Use and Attitudinal Loyalty: A Survey of Members Who Do and Do Not Currently Use Responsible Gambling Tools

Abstract: Loyalty programs are a ubiquitous marketing strategy in the casino industry. Via members’ player accounts, many programs offer access to a money and/or time limit setting tool. Unfortunately, the rate of engagement with limit tools is exceedingly low, which is discouraging from a responsible gambling (RG) perspective. A possible route to increase limit tool use is to reward players for using them with program points. Doing so may also place the casino in a positive light, thus increasing attitudinal loyalty. To test this idea, loyalty program members who use RG tools (N=90) and who have never used RG tools (N=93) completed a questionnaire that assessed willingness to use RG tools if rewarded and perceptions of the casino if RG tool use is rewarded (i.e., attitudinal loyalty). Results showed that willingness to use RG tools if rewarded was positively associated with attitudinal loyalty. This relation was greater among those who currently do not use RG tools. Findings suggest that providing players with rewards points for using RG tools (e.g., a limit setting tool) may increase their use, which should minimize gambling-related harms. It may also improve attitudinal loyalty, particularly among those who currently do not use RG tools. Implications: The results from the current research provide insight into a potential path to increase responsible gambling behaviors. Specifically, providing loyalty program members with rewards points for using a limit setting tool may increase players’ willingness to set a monetary limit, while also benefiting industry by fostering increased casino brand loyalty