A new Australian study suggests that not only are social casino games harmless for the vast majority of players, the free-play products could provide an alternative outlet for problem gamblers.

The study, which was announced two years ago, explored the connections between social casino play and real-money gambling. (The study also examined Aussie betting operators use of social media to promote their businesses, but we’ll examine that aspect in a future article.)

The study was funded by Gambling Research Australia and conducted by Southern Cross University researcher Sally Gainsbury. For those of you keen enough to read the whole 302-page report, it’s viewable here, while the rest of you lazy bastards can continue reading this summary.

Researchers conducted an online survey of 1,554 adults during May and June of last year. One-third of participants were classified as social casino gamers. While there were no dramatic gender differences, social casino gamers tended to be younger, less likely to be married but more likely to be living in a common law relationship, morel likely to be fully employed and (interestingly) more likely to speak a language other than English in the home.