Gambler’s behaviour: A field investigation – Miriam Tomasuolo

Network Roberto Franceschi Workshop – 11 December 2020

Gambler’s behaviour: A field investigation

Miriam Tomasuolo
PhD in Economics, Catholic University of Milan

The thesis presents a lab-in-the-field experiment collecting data on gamblers’ behaviour. The study provides an estimate of the incidence of Problematic Gambling (PG) among the usual customers of a large betting agency in Milan. We elicit in an incentivized manner a large battery of behavioural traits in order to investigate which of them are mostly characterizing PG. Moreover, we investigate a causal relationship between gambling activity and behavioural traits. We also keep detailed track of the gambling activity during the day of the interview to see which are the more interest patterns of the gambling activity. The results underline important differences between real and experimental observation. When we usage experimental task to investigate a possible variation in risk preferences due to gambling activity we do not observe any significant impact on risk preferences. When we inspect risk preferences using data coming from the real gambling activity we find evidence of the diminishing marginality phenomenon. The more losses they have collected during gambling, the more is the risk that gamblers are likely to take in the subsequent bets. These results indicate that gamblers are not risk-seekers in full general, but their risk propensity seems to rise when they are involved in gambling.

About Network Roberto Franceschi:
Each year Fondazione Roberto Franceschi Onlus awards research grants to MSC and PhD students in order to finance data collection on the issues of social distress, poverty and inequality ( The recipients become part of Network Roberto Franceschi, the transnational network of scholars formed for the purpose of carrying out and promoting scientific research in the field of study of prevention of social pathologies and forms of social exclusion, on matters pertaining to underdevelopment, marginalisation, poverty, migration and civil rights.

Thanks to Intesa Sanpaolo

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