Gambling Channel Engagement Across Italy and the UK: The Role of Financial Literacy and Behavioural Diversification

Gambling increasingly occurs across multiple access environments, yet research has often treated online and offline gambling as interchangeable modes of access rather than as distinct patterns of behavioural engagement. The present study examined whether gambling channel engagement was associated with type of game, financial literacy dimensions, financial anxiety, and national context. The study included 2,000 adult gamblers recruited in Italy (n = 1,000) and the United Kingdom (n = 1,000). Gambling channel was classified as offline-only, online-only, or mixed-channel engagement. A sequential multinomial logistic modelling strategy examined the contribution of gambling type and country, followed by Financial Knowledge, Financial Behaviour, Financial Attitudes, and Financial Anxiety. Country-specific models, formal interaction tests, demographic and socioeconomic adjustment, and non-parametric bootstrap analyses were also conducted. Gambling type was the strongest predictor of channel engagement. Strategic gambling and participation across multiple gambling-type categories were consistently associated with online and mixed-channel gambling relative to offline gambling. Financial Knowledge independently predicted both online and mixed-channel engagement, whereas Financial Behaviour, Financial Attitudes, and Financial Anxiety were not significant after adjustment for gambling type and country. UK participants had higher odds of online and mixed-channel gambling than Italian participants. Country-specific analyses showed that Financial Knowledge predicted online gambling in both countries and mixed-channel gambling in the UK. Formal interaction testing indicated that the association between Financial Knowledge and mixed-channel gambling was significantly stronger in the UK than in Italy. The findings suggest that gambling channel engagement reflects broader patterns of behavioural diversification rather than a simple preference for a particular mode of access. Financial Knowledge may be associated with participation across more complex and flexible gambling environments, although its role appears to vary across national contexts.