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An empirical study of the impact of complexity on participation in horserace betting

An empirical study of the impact of complexity on participation in horserace betting
An empirical study of the impact of complexity on participation in horserace betting
The aim of the research reported in this paper was to explore empirically whether levels of participation in horserace betting are affected by the complexity of the betting task. The study employed a systematic random sample of 1161 betting decisions made in UK offcourse betting offices during 1987. The research was conducted in a naturalistic setting where it was possible to grade complexity and to measure levels of participation. Complexity was defined in terms of both the number of alternatives in the decision-maker's choice set (number of horses in a race) and the complexity of the attributes set for each horserace (handicap vs. non-handicap races). Results indicated that bettors are not inhibited by alternative-based complexity, but may be inhibited to some extent by attribute-defined complexity.
1050-5350
159-172
Johnson, Johnnie E.V.
6d9f1a51-38a8-4011-a792-bfc82040fac4
Bruce, Alistair C.
acee9acc-fd28-44bf-8781-7a9d135319ac
Johnson, Johnnie E.V.
6d9f1a51-38a8-4011-a792-bfc82040fac4
Bruce, Alistair C.
acee9acc-fd28-44bf-8781-7a9d135319ac

Johnson, Johnnie E.V. and Bruce, Alistair C. (1997) An empirical study of the impact of complexity on participation in horserace betting. Journal of Gambling Studies, 13 (2), 159-172. (doi:10.1023/A:1024903418798).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The aim of the research reported in this paper was to explore empirically whether levels of participation in horserace betting are affected by the complexity of the betting task. The study employed a systematic random sample of 1161 betting decisions made in UK offcourse betting offices during 1987. The research was conducted in a naturalistic setting where it was possible to grade complexity and to measure levels of participation. Complexity was defined in terms of both the number of alternatives in the decision-maker's choice set (number of horses in a race) and the complexity of the attributes set for each horserace (handicap vs. non-handicap races). Results indicated that bettors are not inhibited by alternative-based complexity, but may be inhibited to some extent by attribute-defined complexity.

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Published date: 1997

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 36425
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/36425
ISSN: 1050-5350
PURE UUID: 0f8ff801-39c3-4493-a5e0-48f6c4a05928

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Date deposited: 01 Aug 2006
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 07:56

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Contributors

Author: Johnnie E.V. Johnson
Author: Alistair C. Bruce

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