The superstitious journey of Thai lottery gamblers

Abstract

Superstitious belief has been explained as a driving force in initiating and maintaining gambling behaviour. However, most studies on this subject only examine the variations of superstitious beliefs in a Western gambling context, with limited understanding of the impact superstition has on gambling initiation. By focusing on lottery gambling, this exploratory research attempts to examine what impact superstitious belief has on the lottery gambling behavioural process among Thai consumers. This research utilised semi-structured depth interviews to collect data and thematic coding to analyse the narrative transcripts. The findings contribute to the body of literature on lottery gambling by providing the conceptual framework depicting that superstitious beliefs play a major role in every stage of the lottery gambling process (from the pre-purchase to post-purchase stages) and these beliefs can increase the likelihood of taking up gambling.