Do advertising and promotions for online gambling increase gambling consumption? An exploratory study

Abstract

It remains unclear if gambling advertising and promotion increase demand for, and consumption of, gambling, or only affect market share distributions without increasing total consumption. Although this has been investigated in relation to land-based gambling, studies have not examined how such marketing influences behavioural patterns of Internet gamblers. The aim of this study, therefore, was to explore ways in which advertising and promotion of Internet gambling may contribute to increased consumption of gambling. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 50 Internet gamblers drawn from the general population, and 31 treatment-seeking Internet gamblers. In-deptha nalysiso fi nterview transcripts revealed limited reported effectiveness of advertising and promotions in converting non-gamblers to Internet gamblers. However, general population gamblers reported occasionally gambling more than intended (increased consumption) in response to free bet and deposit offers. A proportion of treatment-seekers reported increased gambling, particularly associated with bonus offers that required matched deposits and gambling before any winnings could be collected. Advertisements and promotions invoked urges to gamble among treatment-seeking gamblers, and appeared to some participants to be designed to target individuals who had taken steps to limit or cease gambling. Findings provide preliminary evidence of Internet gambling promotional activities increasing overall consumption amongst asubgroup of gamblers.

Affective response to gambling promotions during televised sport: A qualitative analysis

“…In the present study, sports bettors tended to respond more favourably to gambling promotions than non-sports bettors, who largely despised this practice. This aligns with previous findings that gamblers, particularly problem gamblers, are most stimulated to gamble by gambling advertisements (Binde, 2009;Hing, Cherney, et al, 2014).…”

“…In Binde's (2009) qualitative study of problem gamblers, slightly over half reported advertising as marginally affecting their gambling problem, while one-fifth reported a tangible impact. A key conclusion was that advertisements could trigger intention and behaviour, undermining efforts to abstain from gambling, as confirmed by other research (Hing, Cherney, Blaszczynski, Gainsbury, & Lubman, 2014). Because gambling promotions are embedded in televised sport (Milner et al, 2013), avoiding exposure is not always possible for problem gamblers, and implications of this ''forced exposure'' are not well understood.…”

The influence of marketing on the sports betting attitudes and consumption behaviours of young men: implications for harm reduction and prevention strategies

“…Further, some young men have reported they feel targeted and bombarded by sports betting advertising [28]. More broadly, research into the impact of gambling advertising indicates that it may trigger impulses to gamble, may increase already high levels of gambling and may make it more difficult for problem gamblers in particular, to gamble less or not gamble at all [29, 30]. Researchers argue that sports betting has become closely aligned with young men’s sports fan rituals [31], with some researchers highlighting the role that marketing strategies may play in stimulating the risky consumption of sports betting products.…”

Online Gambling Advertising and the Third-Person Effect

“…On the contrary, some authors state that advertising affects the market share between the online gambling companies but not the consumption (Hing et al, 2014). They argue that only a small proportion of individuals begin gambling for the first time after having been exposed to online gambling advertising (Hing et al, 2014).…”

“…They argue that only a small proportion of individuals begin gambling for the first time after having been exposed to online gambling advertising (Hing et al, 2014). Despite of the fact that online gambling advertising has a smaller impact on gambling disorder than other influential factors (Binde, 2007), it can be viewed as an impulse trigger to gamble and has a negative effect on those who attempt to cease gambling (Binde, 2009).…”