Obesity is a growing problem – don’t mind the pun – in many major regions of the world, especially in the United States and the United Kingdom. Modern technology has made the general population less active, while the accelerated demands of society don’t give most individuals nearly enough time to prepare and eat a proper diet or exercise at recommended levels. Interestingly enough, a new study conducted by a respected UK online poker affiliate website revealed that most poker players are underweight, and they tend drink a bit more than the nationally recommended dosage of alcohol.
The study, conducted by Jackpot.co.uk, surveyed 2,131 individuals with a wide array of gambling backgrounds; everything from slots and video poker enthusiasts to table games and poker players. While fans of the slots and video poker genre came in as the most corpulent of the group, averaging a body mass index (BMI) of 31 and 30 respectively, poker players landed below the national average with a BMI of 25.
A BMI of 30 or 31 is measured as ‘moderately obese’. The UK national average for BMI is 27, which is considered on the verge of being moderately obese. Thus poker players with a BMI of 25 are carrying a relatively healthy weight. It was also noted that poker players, along with regular blackjack, pai gow poker and roulette players, seem to be the most active in terms of physical fitness, averaging a higher rate of weekly exercise than the nationally recommended level.
On the opposite end of that spectrum, UK poker players also tend to drink more than the weekly suggested amount. 23% of the 315 poker players who were surveyed admitted that they drink more than the recommended weekly consumption of alcohol. The only groups of gamblers to drink more than poker players were slots fans, 24% of which consume higher levels on a weekly basis.
When you consider the lifestyle of the typical poker player, the results shouldn’t be all that surprising. Whether playing in a live setting at cash games or tournaments, or in a virtual, online poker community, card gamers spend the majority of their time sitting down. The same can be said of slots players, but the time invested in gambling tends to be a lot higher for an avid poker player. Their diet may or may not consist of healthy food, but due to the time spent at the tables, they don’t have a lot of opportunities to fill a plate, thus they aren’t consuming abundant amounts of food.
Because slot players are competing against the house, with no time constraints on making decisions, they can walk away at any time and return to their gameplay at will, especially when partaking in their favorite pastime from the comfort of home on a computer or laptop. The major difference seems to be that poker players take the time to exercise when they’re not gambling, while the average slots player does not. Then again, to be a successful poker player takes a certain level of intelligence to calculate odds and read opponents, whereas playing the slots takes nothing more than a good, strong index finger. Perhaps it’s that requirement of a superior thought process that drives more UK poker players to consciously maintain a fit and active lifestyle off the felt.