Why Athletes bet on Sport competitions ?

The purpose of this study was to investigate the reasons and factors affecting athletes betting on sports competitions. It was a descriptive study and its statistical population included all athletes who had been participated in sports betting more than once. Therefore, the questionnaires were distributed purposefully and online. A total of ۲۰۰ people who were interested in betting in ۷ sports participated in this study. Goldberg et al. s (۲۰۰۶) ۵-factor personality questionnaire was used to collect data. Descriptive data analysis was performed by using mean, standard deviation and frequency percentage and the inferential analysis was performed by using Friedman test in SPSS۱۸ software. Findings showed ۷۹.۵% of the participants in the betting were male. Also ۷۳.۵% these participants stated that they prefer to do betting activity through betting websites. ۷۲.۵% of participants have not made any bets with their friends in the last ۱۲ months, but ۳۱% of participants have been active in betting sites ۲-۳ times a month. & quot;Self-confidence and self-assurance& quot; with an average ۴.۰۶ is the most important reason for people to bet. & quot;Those who bet are usually losers& quot; with an average of ۳.۵۸ is the first priority of people s views on betting. In the most important views of people about betting strategies, the view that & quot; Betting is more than just a chance & quot; has an average of ۳.۸۷. It seems that the attractiveness of betting websites and their extensive advertising attract people to these websites and other operators that are active in this domain, despite being aware of the illegality of these activities and the material losses and psychological consequences of unsuccessful betting. In the meantime, athletes, due to their familiarity with the principles and rules of sports, participate in betting-related activities with more confidence and inclination, and as a result, suffer from its negative consequences. Due to the fact that this type of activity is illegal in the country, so its economic, personal and social consequences are less known and lack of awareness is one of the reasons for the continuous participation of people in betting.

کلیدواژه ها:

betting ، Athlete ، Sports competitions