Defining and measuring gambling satisfaction as an indicator of gambling problems: Consumer perspectives, predictors, and scale utility

Gambling-related harms are negatively related to life satisfaction, likely due to the cross-domain harms it causes and the tendency for some people to gamble to escape difficult emotions. Life satisfaction has been examined across various domains including health, finances, and relationships, yet, how gambling relates to life satisfaction is underexplored. The current study aimed to explore the novel construct of gambling satisfaction by defining and assessing this construct as an indicator of problem gambling severity. A mixed-methods approach was used to identify factors associated with gambling satisfaction and examine how consumers interpret this construct. An online survey was completed by Australian customers from a land-based venue (n = 204) and two online operators (n = 407 & n = 1223). The Gambling Satisfaction Scale, measured as a one-item question with a Likert response, demonstrated good discriminatory ability for identifying consumers classified as experiencing gambling-related harms, particularly among land-based players. Its predictive ability improved when combined with measures of life satisfaction and financial wellbeing. Gambling Satisfaction Scale scores were negatively correlated with problem gambling severity and positively associated with financial wellbeing and overall life satisfaction in the survey responses. Interview findings revealed the defining features of gambling satisfaction and factors contributing to gambling satisfaction. The results suggested that positive gambling satisfaction is shaped by an individual's sense of self-control, financial outcomes, prediction-testing, excitement, social and environmental influences, and perceptions of gambling as a hobby. In contrast, relational harms and the time-opportunity costs of gambling were associated with decreased gambling satisfaction. This study provides the first investigation of gambling satisfaction and the Gambling Satisfaction Scale, as well as its potential utility as a simplified, non-stigmatising self-reported indicator of problem gambling severity.