Qualitative Study of Online Betting Phenomenon

The main objective of this research is to understand the importance of betting for people and the reasons that lead them to bet. To this end, we analyzed people’s motivation, actions, and persistence in online betting from the perspective of those who participated in betting activities and are addicted to betting, as well as from the perspective of experts and social workers. In the theoretical part, in order to better analyze people’s meaning and understanding of betting and to organize the data obtained from the field research, we used Pierre Bourdieu’s theoretical perspective on field and habit and the meta-theoretical model. We used behavioral change to analyze how people become addicted to gambling. In the method section, the research focused on in-depth interviews. In this research, we interviewed 35 people: 20 interviews with people who had experience with online betting and related addiction, 10 interviews with counselors and psychotherapists who have clients among bettors, and finally 5 interviews with social science experts. Each interview lasted between 45 and 70 minutes. Subsequently, all interviews were analyzed and categorized based on the theoretical model. The results show large differences in motivation to gamble between the upper and lower classes. Members of the upper social classes consider gambling as a way of entertainment and thrill. People from the lower class, on the other hand, consider gambling as a way to earn money. These people want to change their poor economic situation as soon as possible, so the risk of gambling is much higher among people from the lower classes. This risk becomes even greater when a person is addicted to gambling and has no money to bet with, so they are forced to call on their family, which leads to a terrible psychological burden for them. The analysis of the conducted interviews showed that the importance of betting for people varies depending on the area and social class. The motivation of people from upper and lower class to do it is different. The results of the research show that the motivation for betting in the upper social classes is mainly entertainment and pleasure. In the lower classes, the excitement caused by betting and the exploitation of the economic aspects are emphasized and become important, leading them to participate in online betting.