Self-generated motives of social casino gamers

Social casino games have achieved widespread popularity, and are accessed by more than 85 million people each day. Yet, why people play social casino games is largely unknown. To address this gap, an inductive approach was taken to better understand the motives for playing social casino games, as well as the motives for transitioning from social casino gaming to gambling and vice versa. To this end, 269 social casino gamers were asked to provide a ranked list of their motives for playing social casino games. Additionally, we asked participants their motivations for transitioning from gambling to social casino gaming (n = 202) or vice versa (n = 67). A total of 795, 605, and 201 unique responses describing motives for playing social casino games, transitioning from social casino gaming to gambling, and transitioning from gambling to social casino gaming, respectively, were analyzed using a thematic content analysis. The most frequently endorsed motive for playing social casino games was for enhancement (e.g., fun, challenge). Participants also noted playing to earn rewards, including money, and for social reasons. Several motives linked social casino game play to gambling. These included: to hone gambling-related ‘skills’, a desire to transition to gambling to win real money, and as a gambling harm-reduction strategy. Motives for playing social casino games did not differ significantly between those who first gambled and then transitioned to social casino gaming and vice versa, suggesting that once people begin playing social casino games, they have similar motives for continued engagement. The present study contributes to understanding the immense popularity of social casino games and their links to gambling.