Why do people get involved in online gambling? How much time do they spend on online sites? What is the average wager put down by British players at one sitting? What are the main attractions to players? And do men differ from women in the way they play?

All these questions will be answered over the coming months as a British University investigates trends in the UK’s online gaming industry.

Researchers from the University of Leeds are to carry out a gambling survey investigating the habits of regular and occasional online players.

The project is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council as well as the Responsibility in Gambling Trust (RiGT), and aims to understand more accurately when, where and how people gamble online.

Study organizers say that the results of the research will be provided to a variety of gambling bodies and industry organisations, as well as governmental departments, for further consideration.

The study follows the recent e-Commerce Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance (eCogra) study, which was billed as the most comprehensive gambling analysis ever undertaken, surveying millions of gamers from around the globe.

The RiGT research will be based on the opinions and habits of UK residents only, and will aim for a specific focus on those who have been unsuccessful in their attempts to win money.

By gaining additional  refined knowledge of the habits of the ‘British online player’ the Gambling Trust hope to be in a position to help players who fall on hard times.
The Trust list the following as it’s main objective – “The advancement of education for the benefit of the public by research into the types of addictive gambling, the causes of gambling and the effectiveness of treatments, and the publication of the results of such research.”