(Mis)Comprehension and (Mistaken) Attractiveness of Financial Gambling Inducements among UK Bettors

Financial gambling inducements such as ‘free’ bets and welcome bonuses involve complex wagering requirements that many consumers miscomprehend. UK regulations cap these wagering requirements at x10 (i.e., users must wager x10 the bonus before withdrawal) but don’t require worked examples to aid comprehension. This study assessed UK bettors’ comprehension of inducement wagering requirements, whether comprehension varied by gambling severity, whether perceived attractiveness differed when worked examples were displayed, and bettors’ broader perceptions of inducements. A between-subjects, mixed-methods online experiment randomised UK bettors (n = 585) to view a welcome bonus inducement either with or without (control) a worked example detailing its wagering requirement. Participants completed measures of comprehension, perceived attractiveness, gambling severity, and qualitative questioning. Participants in the control condition significantly underestimated the inducement’s wagering requirements (p