Modelling consumer intention to use gambling technologies: an innovative approach

This paper reports the results of a study that sought to analyse the attributes of gambling technologies that affect consumer intention to use card-based gambling in Australia. A 23-item questionnaire was developed from an analysis of interviews with 20 key industry stakeholders, adapted to a modified version of existing technology acceptance model (TAM) questions (Davis 1989, Wang et al . 2003), then administered to 134 patrons of two gambling venues. Data reduction yielded three constructs consistent with the TAM: ‘ease-of-use', ‘perceived usefulness' and ‘intention to use' the technology. Significant correlation was found in each component, and each set of component items exhibited high internal reliability. Further analysis using structural equation modelling revealed that ‘usefulness' is a significant predictor of ‘intention to use' card-based gambling systems, and that ‘ease-of-use' also has a positive effect on intention. Replication of these results, complemented by actual usage data, will enhance understanding of the benefits.