A VIP sports bettor is someone who has achieved elite status through an online sportsbook or daily fantasy sports (DFS) operator loyalty program. Maintenance of a large bankroll (typically over $10,000) is a necessity and a VIP is often required to wager a significant amount (also known as volume or handle) each week of the sports calendar. VIPs “benefit” from significantly larger promotions compared to what an average member has access to. But accompanying these perceived advantages are potential consequences for those who are vulnerable to developing a problematic relationship with gambling. Further, increased risk of consequences may be greater for this particular segment of the sports betting population when the following is taken into consideration. Read ahead to learn more.
5 Ways VIP Sports Bettors May Face a Greater Risk of Problem Gambling Consequences
I. Increased Frequency = Increased Likelihood?
A qualifying player becomes a VIP with a given sportsbook/DFS operator after having developed a consistent betting history. In other words, they gamble habitually. Their brains become accustomed to the behavior and the hyperactive dopamine release which supports feelings of motivation, pleasure, and reward (even when losing). Over time, the habit can become a compulsion for the psychologically vulnerable, those with genetic predispositions, and individuals who are more likely to succumb to peer pressure. The latter is not to be taken lightly as chasing elite status as a gambler has become commonplace in this new society which idolizes influencers who share their high-rolling antics on social media.
On top of enhanced access to an operator’s online sportsbook/DFS platform, VIP programs come with external benefits. These include those that encourage sports bettors to venture into online and on-premises casino gaming. This expands one’s gambling horizons into table games and slots which dig deeper into the dark flow psychology of problem gambling.
Simply put, a VIP is perpetually enticed to gamble as frequently and often as their bankroll and credit permits.
II. Big Spending = Big Debt
As alluded to in the introduction, a player is invited to become a VIP not just through a consistent betting history, but a consistently large bankroll. This is problematic because over time the Gambler’s Ruin formula indicates that for the majority of sports bettors, debt is an inevitability. Check out the statistics for the average debt load for American sports bettors:
More than 50% of sports bettors are willing to wager $10K at a chance to win $1 million
U.S. gamblers lost $120 billion in the most recently reported annum
Average gambling addict (men) debt is between $55,000 and $90,000
Average gambling addict (women) debt is $15,000
Over 20% of compulsive gamblers file for bankruptcy
Remember, the above statistics apply to the average sports betting and gambler. High-rollers (VIPs) generally wager more and more often, with increased frequency and volume logically inferring a greater debt load as time passes. Considering the consequences of gambling debt and the fact that debt load is associated with higher rates of suicidality, VIPs need to be more mindful of their thoughts, feelings, and emotions as the Gambler’s Ruin formula chips away at their bankroll.
III. More Frequent Messaging
VIP sports bettors have opted-in to receive custom (more on this below) promotions from the sports betting and DFS operators that they are members with. Who among them wouldn’t want to, given that VIP programs are loaded with incentives that the average Jane or Joe sports bettor does not have access to? However, opting-in for frequent and enticing promotional commutations constantly exposes a member to direct triggers to gamble. This is a problem for those who may be attempt to scale-back on sports betting after having observed associated dangers.
IV. Advanced Customized VIP Marketing More Likely to Trigger Behavior
More problematic than frequency of marketing communications directed at VIPs, is customization. VIPs are typically assigned an account manager who gets to know their client more personally. Armed with intimate knowledge about betting preferences and behavior, their sole job is to get a VIP to increase their handle and gamble more often.
Moreover, operators are leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to customize messaging and campaigns in addition to player experiences to be more personalized and tailored to the VIP. AI-powered algorithms know better that any VIP client manager about what has proven to be most effective in getting a player to re-up account/s and keep betting. These programs have an advanced understanding of a VIP’s favorite teams, leagues, sports, and bet-type (parlays, etc.) preferences. They know spending habits and how they may change during certain times of the sports betting calendar and year. They know a player’s triggers to gamble better than the player’s themselves. This more customized experience makes it all that harder to escape the tightening grasp of problematic gambling behavior.
V. Promotions Not Public-Facing
Non-VIP sports betting advertising is everywhere. Ads are broadcast throughout sporting events, during reruns of Friends and children’s TV programming, and pop-up in social media feeds more than pop-culture memes. The public-facing nature makes it all very easy for regulators to monitor messaging to ensure that there are no policy violations regarding semantics and celebrities in districts with restrictions on the matter.
Marketing and advertising to VIPs, however, is innately less visible because promotions are delivered to email inboxes, smartphone SMS, and in-app messaging. They are not publicly broadcast. Consequently, it is easier for uncouth marketing messaging to slip under the radar, whether intended (namely by unregulated operators) or unintended. The potential for negligence, false advertising, deceptive practices, and consumer fraud is theoretically greater in the VIP environment.
VIP Treatment for Problem Gambling
Are you a VIP sports bettor who struggles with unhealthy gambling behavior from time to time? Or do you recognize that your problematic relationship with gambling is even more severe? Swap your VIP status in sports betting for VIP status in counseling for problem gambling. Fighting fire with fire, Kindbridge will initiate a personal assessment and customize a strategy that considers your past and current behaviors in addition to identifying if there are any underlying mental/behavioral issues that may cooccur with your problem gambling. This method has proven to be effective as per our recent treatment outcomes report. Book a customized assessment via your preferred form of contact provided below.
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