Lopez-Gonzalez, H., Guerrero-Sole, F. & Griffiths, M.D. (2017). A content analysis of how ‘normal’ sports betting behaviour is represented in gambling advertising. Addiction Research and Theory, in press. (original) (raw)
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A content analysis of how ‘normal’ sports betting behaviour is represented in gambling advertising
Addiction Research & Theory
The pervasiveness of sports betting marketing and advertising is arguably normalising betting behaviour among increasingly larger groups of population. In their adverts, bookmakers represent characters and situations that conventionalise betting and promote specific behaviours while ignoring others. The present study examined a sample of British and Spanish sports betting television adverts (N=135) from 2014 to 2016 to understand how bettors and betting are being represented. Using content analysis, 31 different variables grouped into seven broad categories were assessed, including general information about the advert, the characters and situations represented, the identification of the characters with sports, the use of online betting, the co-representation of gambling along other risky behaviours such as eating junk food and drinking alcohol, the amount of money wagered, and other variables such as the representation of free bets, humour, and celebrities. The results showed a male-dominant betting representation with no interaction between women. Typically, bettors were depicted surrounded by people but isolated in their betting, emphasizing the individual consumption practice that mobile betting promotes. In-play betting was observed in almost half of the adverts. A little empirical evidence indicates that betting while watching sport in betting adverts is associated with emotionally charged situations such as celebrations and/or alcohol drinking. Bettors were typically depicted staking small amounts of money with large potential returns, implying high risk bets. Overall, the study provides preliminary evidence in understanding the social representation of betting behaviour by bookmakers and critiques the problematic consequences of such representation from a public health perspective.
Exploring perceptions of sports consumption and betting
EXPLORING PERCEPTIONS OF SPORTS CONSUMPTION AND BETTING IN THE UK, 2023
This study delves into the multifaceted realm of sports consumption and betting within the United Kingdom, exploring the perceptions and behaviors of young adults aged 18-35. Sports consumption encompasses the diverse ways individuals engage with sports, while sports betting involves placing wagers on sports events. The UK serves as a significant hub for both activities, with widespread internet and smartphone usage facilitating access to sports-related content and online betting platforms. In 2019, online sports betting contributed significantly to the UK's gross gambling yield. The UK government has enacted policies and regulations to ensure responsible gambling practices, including the Gambling Act of 2005 and the Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Act of 2014. However, challenges persist, including the potential impact of sports betting on problem gambling and gambling-related harm. A survey by the Gambling Commission revealed the presence of problem and moderate-risk gamblers within the UK population, indirectly affecting millions of individuals. Research suggests that online sports betting may pose a higher risk for problem gambling compared to other forms of gambling. Moreover, sports consumption may influence sports betting behavior, with exposure to biased commentary and advertising affecting betting choices. This study aims to address these challenges and opportunities by exploring young adults' ideologies, attitudes, and expectations related to sports consumption and betting. It also assesses their reactions to sports betting advertisements and outcomes and evaluates existing policies and their impact on young adults. The research questions center on understanding what inspires young adults to engage in sports betting, how they perceive sports betting advertisements, the effectiveness of existing policies, and the negative effects of sports betting on this demographic. The significance of this study transcends academia, impacting policymaking and industry practices. It provides insights into responsible gambling practices, informs media strategies, and fosters a balance between entertainment and responsible reporting. Ultimately, it contributes to societal well-being while sustaining a viable industry. However, this research has limitations, including sample size constraints and potential biases. Perceptions are dynamic and subject to change over time, requiring ongoing research. Social desirability bias may impact participant responses. Despite these limitations, this study offers valuable insights into the complex interplay of sports consumption and betting in the UK, enriching scholarship and informing policies and practices.
The prevalence of sports betting advertising has become a major concern for gambling regulators, particularly since the legalization of online gambling in many European jurisdictions. Although the composition of gambling advertisement narratives has received some limited attention, nothing is known regarding how betting advertisements (often referred to as Badverts^ or Bcommercials^) might be associating gambling with other potentially risky behaviors. The present paper examines the representation of alcohol drinking and low nutritional value food eating in sports betting advertising. By means of a mixed-methods approach to content analysis, a sample of British and Spanish soccer betting adverts was analyzed (N = 135). The results suggest that betting advertising aligns drinking alcohol with sports culture and significantly associates emotionally charged sporting situations such as watching live games or celebrating goals with alcohol. Additionally, alcohol drinking is more frequent in betting adverts with a higher number of characters, linking friendship bonding and alcohol drinking (especially beer) in the context of sports gambling.
Fans watching live sport events, both mediated or in stadia, have witnessed an increase in sports betting products. Most of these products feature in-play betting, that is, the ability to bet on a game once it has started while watching it. In-play betting has raised many concerns among responsible gambling advocates due to its perceived relationship with problem gambling behaviour. This study explored the association between in-play betting and problem gambling. More specifically, the study examined how motives for consuming sport and how involved sports fans were in watching sport affected their gambling. Also, adjacent risk behaviours to in-play betting (such as consuming junk food and alcohol) during live sports betting were examined. Using a survey comprising 659 sports bettors from Spain, the study found that compared to participants not engaging in in-play betting, in-play bettors reported higher (i) problem gambling severity, (ii) sport watching involvement , (iii) consumption of sport to escape from everyday preoccupations, and
International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction
Community, media and government concerns have emerged about promoting sports betting during televised sports broadcasts, which now contain betting operators’ logos, signage, websites, commentary and betting odds. Despite large television audiences being exposed, limited research has examined how these promotions shape gambling behaviour, particularly amongst problem gamblers. Underpinned by the Theory of Reasoned Action, this study explored whether exposure and attitude to gambling promotions during televised sport predict sports betting intention and whether this relationship varies with problem gambling severity. Surveys were conducted with 1,000 adults in Queensland, Australia. Strongest predictors of greater intended frequency of sports betting were higher problem gambling severity, previous sports betting participation, more frequent exposure to the promotions, and more positive attitudes towards them. Results suggest that the audience most likely to be stimulated by these prom...
Demographic, Behavioural and Normative Risk Factors for Gambling Problems Amongst Sports Bettors
Journal of gambling studies / co-sponsored by the National Council on Problem Gambling and Institute for the Study of Gambling and Commercial Gaming, 2015
Sports betting is growing exponentially, is heavily marketed and successfully targets young adult males. Associated gambling problems are increasing. Therefore, understanding risk factors for problem gambling amongst sports bettors is an increasingly important area of research to inform the appropriate design and targeting of public health and treatment interventions. This study aimed to identify demographic, behavioural and normative risk factors for gambling problems amongst sports bettors. An online survey of 639 Australian sports bettors using online, telephone and retail betting channels was conducted. Results indicated that vulnerable sports bettors for higher risk gambling are those who are young, male, single, educated, and employed full-time or a full-time student. Risk of problem gambling was also found to increase with greater frequency and expenditure on sports betting, greater diversity of gambling involvement, and with more impulsive responses to betting opportunities,...
Sports betting advertising has arguably permeated contemporary sport consumption in many countries. Advertisements build narratives that represent situations and characters that normalise betting behaviour and raise public concerns regarding their detrimental effect on vulnerable groups. Adopting a grounded theory approach, the present study examined a British sample of sports betting advertisements (N = 102) from 2014 to 2016. The analysis revealed that individual themes aligned in a single core narrative, constructing a dual persuasive strategy of sports betting advertising: (i) to reduce the perceived risk involved in betting (with themes such as betting with friends, free money offers, humour, or the use of celebrities) while (ii) enhancing the perceived control of bettors (including themes of masculinity and sport knowledge). In addition, new technological features of sports betting platforms (e.g. live in-play betting) were used by advertisers to build narratives in which the ability to predict a sports outcome was overlapped by the ability of bettors to use such platforms, equalizing the ease of betting with the ease of winning. Based on the data analysed, it was concluded that the construction of a magnified idea of control in sports betting advertising is a cause for concern that requires close regulatory scrutiny.
This study examined how promotion of gambling and live betting odds during televised sport influences gambling participation and gambling problems in the Queensland community. It conducted focus groups with regular viewers of televised sporting events (N = 39) and surveys of adults (N = 1,000), sports bettors (N = 544) and adolescents (N = 131) to determine how these promotions influence intentions to gambling on sports and other gambling forms. A survey containing 20 professionally produced mock sports betting promotions was conducted with regular sports bettors, non-regular sports bettors and non-sports bettors (N = 611) to determine elements that most engaged the desire to gamble. Key results pertaining to the three research questions are as follows. What impact do the advertising of live betting odds and other gambling promotions during televised sporting events have on gambling participation in the community? Results suggest these promotions are increasing gambling participatio...
Public Health, 2020
Objective: Gambling operators in the United Kingdom have introduced a voluntary ban on adverts broadcast during televised sport before 21:00 (the 'whistle-to-whistle' ban). To inform debates around the potential effectiveness of this ban, we examine the frequency and nature of gambling marketing in televised broadcasts across professional sporting events. Study design: Frequency analysis of verbal and visual gambling marketing references during television broadcasts of football (n ¼ 5), tennis, Formula 1, boxing and rugby union (each n ¼ 1) from 2018. Methods: For each gambling reference, we coded: whether it appeared in-play or out-of-play; location (e.g. pitch-side advertising); format (e.g. branded merchandise); duration (s); number of identical references visible simultaneously; brand; and presence of age restriction or harm-reduction messages. Results: Boxing contained the most gambling references, on average, per broadcast minute (4.70 references), followed by football (2.75), rugby union (0.55) and tennis (0.11). Formula 1 contained no gambling references. In boxing, references most frequently appeared within the area-of-play. For football and rugby union, references most frequently appeared around the pitch border or within the area-ofplay (e.g. branded shirts). Only a small minority of references were for adverts during commercial breaks that would be subject to the whistle-to-whistle ban (e.g. 2% of references in football). Less than 1% of references in boxing and only 3% of references in football contained age restriction or harm-reduction messages. Conclusions: As gambling sponsorship extends much beyond adverts in commercial breaks, the 'whistleto-whistle' ban will have limited effect on gambling exposure. Gambling sponsorship activities rarely contain harm-reduction messages.