The impact of cash-out availability on online betting behavior

The rise of online sports betting, facilitated by technological innovations such as the cash-out feature, has transformed the gambling landscape. While cash-outs have been suggested to intensify problematic gambling behaviors, empirical studies to date have been correlational, leaving a gap in determining causal evidence. In the present Registered Report, the proposed study will investigate the direct impact of the perceived availability of the cash-out feature on various facets of gambling behavior in an online experiment. Hungarian residents with online gambling history will be informed that they will have the chance to gamble with real money on sports events. Following random allocation, half of the participants will be told that they will have the option to cash out their bets before the outcome of the sports event is known, while the other half will not. The study will compare the proportion of participants placing bets, bet sizes, and bet risks between the two groups. Furthermore, the study will explore the differential effects of the cash-out feature on specific high-risk subgroups. The findings are likely to have significant implications for the design of online betting platforms, contribute to regulatory frameworks, and inform the design of interventions aimed at minimizing gambling-related harm.