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An Experimental Investigation of Mobile Sports Betting Consumption

Last registered on October 24, 2024
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
An Experimental Investigation of Mobile Sports Betting Consumption
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0013310
Initial registration date
April 08, 2024

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
April 26, 2024, 10:48 AM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Last updated
October 24, 2024, 10:55 PM EDT

Last updated is the most recent time when changes to the trial's registration were published.

Locations

Country
United States of America
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Matt Brown
Affiliation
University of Chicago
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Mariana Guido
PI Affiliation
Stanford University
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Nick Grasley
PI Affiliation
Stanford University
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2024-04-08
End date
2024-10-23
Keywords
Behavior, Welfare
Additional Keywords
Gambling, Sports betting, Behavioral Public Economics
JEL code(s)
D12, D18, D61, D90, D90, H29, L83
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
We study the consumption behavior of users of several popular mobile sportsbooks in a two-month longitudinal survey.

We do not reveal our research question publicly to preserve the integrity of the trial. See the pre-analysis plan for details.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Brown, Matt, Nick Grasley and Mariana Guido. 2024. "An Experimental Investigation of Mobile Sports Betting Consumption." AEA RCT Registry. October 24. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.13310-1.1
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
We do not reveal this information publicly to preserve the integrity of the trial.
Intervention (Hidden)
We have three interventions.

In the Wager Limits Treatment, participants set monthly limits using built-in wager limit tools in their sports betting apps. We require treated participants to make a choice about what wager limit to set over the course of the study.

In the Bonus Treatment, participants are paid to reduce their mobile sports wagers.

In the Winnings Information Treatment, participants are informed of their past net winnings.


Intervention Start Date
2024-04-08
Intervention End Date
2024-06-10

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
We do not reveal this information publicly to preserve the integrity of the trial. See the pre-analysis plan for details.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
We do not reveal this information publicly to preserve the integrity of the trial. See the pre-analysis plan for details.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
We do not reveal this information publicly to preserve the integrity of the trial. See the pre-analysis plan for details.
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)
We do not reveal this information publicly to preserve the integrity of the trial. See the pre-analysis plan for details.

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We do not reveal this information publicly to preserve the integrity of the trial.
Experimental Design Details
Participants in our experiment take three main surveys, each 31 days apart. We refer to the main surveys as Surveys 1, 2, and 3.

We recruited participants via social media advertisements targeted at sports bettors. Before Survey 1, participants were asked to sync their sports betting accounts to the study. We observe all betting activity on synced accounts over the duration of the study and for up to twelve months before the study.

In Survey 1, we elicit beliefs about expected net winnings, which we use to measure price misperceptions; and predictions of future betting consumption, which help us understand whether consumers are naive about their future self control problems. We also implement our three experiemental treatments. Participants in the Limits Treatment are asked to set weekly wager limits on their synced accounts. Participants in the Bonus Treatment learn that they will be paid to reduce their betting consumption. Participants in the Winnings Information Treatment observe their true net winnings or losses per dollar wagered on synced apps in the four months preceding Survey 1. We additionally elicit demographics and ask a broad set of survey questions inspired by psychiatric studies of problem gambling behavior.

In surveys 2 and 3, we re-elicit beliefs about future winnings and future consumption, and we repeat the survey questions about problem gambling behavior. In survey 3 alone, we include two additional modules: one about how much participants value the existence of sports betting apps, and another about how participants qualitatively perceived changes in their behavior.
Randomization Method
See the pre-analysis plan.
Randomization Unit
See the pre-analysis plan.
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
500 referral groups, plus observations from the screenshots study.
Sample size: planned number of observations
525 people.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
We do not reveal this information publicly to preserve the integrity of the trial. See the pre-analysis plan for details.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Stanford University Institutional Review Board
IRB Approval Date
2024-03-25
IRB Approval Number
70971
Analysis Plan

Analysis Plan Documents

Pre-Analysis Plan

MD5: e51982b0ee24605e0b2ce5b59dce6e50

SHA1: f16c20e626e0eb8930e227a6d500744d41a85c01

Uploaded At: April 08, 2024

Pre-Analysis Plan V2

MD5: 316513d7a571957701aad5b2fd6608da

SHA1: 7e87101f314e02417d01ec81f3f10c8a028a9567

Uploaded At: April 25, 2024

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials