One of the most surprising findings to emerge is that although playing for money was important in terms of making games entertaining, overall, the majority of gamblers appear to not be playing to win money long-term – it’s more about the entertainment. When players across all forms of gambling were asked why they gambled online, answers such as ‘to relax’, ‘for the entertainment and excitement’ or ‘to relieve boredom’, heavily outweighed ‘to make money’ or ‘to win’, highlighting that online gamblers view their pastime as a form of leisure activity.

The scale of the sample has allowed researchers to create the most reliable picture of the typical online poker and casino player so far:

The average online poker player is likely to:

• Be male (73.8%)

• Be aged 26-35 (26.9%)

• Play 2-3 times per week (26.8%)

• Have visited more than 6 poker sites in the preceding three months (25%)

• Have played for 2-3 years (23.6%)

• Play for between 1-2 hours per session (33.3%)

• Play one (24.1%) or two (24%) tables at a time

• Play both cash games and tournaments (34%)

• Play at big-blind (minimum stake) levels of 25p to £1.00 (61.2%)

• Play with 6-10% of their bankroll at a table at any one time (23%)

The average online casino player is likely to:

• Be female (54.8%)

• Aged 46-55 (29.5%)

• Play 2-3 times per week (37%)

• Have visited more than 6 casinos in the preceding three months (25%)

• Have played for 2-3 years (22.4%)

• Play for between 1-2 hours

Approximately half of all respondents had confidence in the integrity of the software, although disturbingly, one in three people thought that the sites had an on/off switch that allowed them to turn the software in their favour – something that an eCOGRA member site would find it impossible to implement thanks to the organisation’s standards for software development and independent testing procedures.

When it came to minimising the risk of being cheated, 64% of players ‘often’ or ‘always’ played on the biggest-named sites, with 40% saying they ‘never’ played on smaller sites because of this fear. In addition, 70% said they sought out well known software providers or other assurances such as the eCOGRA ‘Play it Safe’ seal (61%).

The typical wager is between £15-30 a session in casino games and poker players said they typically played with 2-10% of their bankroll at any one time. In a further sign of realism about their chances, a third of poker players say that the game required more skill than luck, yet most say they were simply 'averagely' skilled.

Andrew Beveridge, CEO, eCOGRA comments on the findings: "These findings are a salutary reminder about the vast majority of players who enjoy this form of entertainment responsibly. Our job is to signpost players towards those operators who are meeting the majority’s expectations regarding fair play, responsible operator conduct and provisions to address problem gambling. We are encouraged by much of the feedback, but also recognise that we still have some way to go.

“This report provides invaluable information that will shape our approach for the next year as we continue to provide players with a ‘gold standard’ level of protection. We are delighted that the vast majority of players who responded were supportive of eCOGRA’s efforts and we hope this endorsement will encourage those within the industry that have yet to apply for our ‘Play it Safe’ seal, to do so over the coming year.”

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