Superstitious Beliefs and Ritualistic Behaviors of Female Gamblers: A Qualitative Case Study

Gambling superstitions are believed to influence the development and maintenance of problem and pathological gambling. Superstitious beliefs and ritualistic behaviors have been studied mainly in the context of problem gambling. There is a gap in the gambling literature on qualitative studies regarding responsible female slot machine gamblers who engage in superstitious beliefs and ritualistic behaviors. This study explored the lived experiences of eight females in the Caribbean using the qualitative constructivist case study approach. The study findings indicated that the participants collectively controlled their responsible gambling behavior by never gambling alone, always gambling with another responsible gambler, gambling with a pre-determined amount of money, and refraining from using casino’s ATMs. The participants in the study viewed gambling as a form of social entertainment. The female participants were all of the mindset that they hoped to win but expected to lose when they gambled. The participants provided subjective information regarding gambling-cognitive related thought patterns of what happens before, during, and after gambling on slot machines. The researcher concluded that it is possible for slot machine gamblers to engage in superstitious beliefs and ritualistic behaviors and gamble responsibly. Future research could examine the relationship between culture and gambling superstitions. Contributions could also be made to the gambling literature by focusing on the differences between male and female responsible gamblers who engage in superstitious beliefs and ritualistic behaviors in the context of gambling