Young people’s recall and perceptions of gambling advertising and intentions to gamble on sport

Abstract

BackgroundThere has been an increased international policy focus on the factors that may contribute to, and prevent, the normalization of gambling for young people. However, there is still limited research, which investigates the role of advertising in shaping young people’s gambling attitudes and consumption intentions.MethodsMixed methods study of 111 young people aged 11–16 years recruited from community basketball stadiums in Victoria, Australia, between May and July 2018. Interviewer-assisted surveys investigated recall and awareness of sports betting brands, perceptions of promotional strategies, intention to gamble, and reasons for betting on particular sports. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and χ2 tests. Thematic analyses were used to interpret qualitative responses.ResultsYoung people had high recall and awareness of advertising, with most able to name at least one betting brand (n = 90, 81.1%), and many demonstrating a high awareness of the distinct characteristics (such as colors and appeal strategies) of different brands. A fifth of young people (n = 25, 22.5%) expressed intentions to gamble at 18 years, with boys significantly more likely than girls to state they would gamble (χ2 = 10.90, p = .001). Young people perceived that advertising strategies associated with inducement promotions would be the most influential in encouraging individuals to gamble. While many young people took promotions at face value, there was evidence that some were able to critically engage with and challenge the messages within marketing.Discussion and conclusionsCurrent regulatory structures appear to be ineffective in limiting young people’s recall and awareness of gambling advertising. Lessons from tobacco control support the application of precautionary approaches as a more effective way to limit young people’s development of positive gambling attitudes and behaviors.

Gambling Harm as a Global Public Health Concern: A Mixed Method Investigation of Trends in Wales

“…These factors should be considered as potentially important contextual drivers of harm. This is further reflected in the rapidly changing environment in terms of advertising exposure and its impact that is being highlighted within the international literature, specifically on young people (14) and gambling populations more generally [for example, (15,16)].…”

Women and gambling-related harm: a narrative literature review and implications for research, policy, and practice

“…They do not reflect the current gambling landscape in which a range of products, industry promotional strategies and gambling environments may increasingly expose, appeal to or target women with a range of different gambling opportunities. For example, recent research found that regardless of gender, young people who were engaged in sport had high-level recall of gambling advertising and positive attitudes towards gambling products [32]. This indicates that young women may be equally at risk of gambling harm as young men, when exposed to industry advertising [32].…”

“…For example, recent research found that regardless of gender, young people who were engaged in sport had high-level recall of gambling advertising and positive attitudes towards gambling products [32]. This indicates that young women may be equally at risk of gambling harm as young men, when exposed to industry advertising [32].…”

Examining Neural Reactivity to Gambling Cues in the Age of Online Betting

“…One striking feature of this new offer of online gambling is the advent of in-play betting that allows sports bettors to place bets during the game (e.g., on the final outcome of the game, on key events within the game, or on a particular discrete event during a game; [67]). As such, a countless number of sport events continuously promote gambling opportunity, a phenomenon that has already been linked to an increased willingness to bet in sport fans (including children; [•8,68–71]). Moreover, in contrast to other types of gambling activities, sports betting is not negatively connoted in our society (e.g., [72]).…”

“…Specifically, recent research findings have highlighted that despite having never gambled, some young sports fans displayed technical knowledge of sports betting, including being able to discuss and describe “odds”, different gambling markets, and how to place bets [69]. This betting-related knowledge could be predominantly traced back to the abiding marketing they were faced with (e.g., pop-up messages occurring during live sports events that feature dynamic betting ratios; [80]), inducing increased recall and awareness of sports betting brands, or perceptions of promotional strategies [68,69,81,82]. As such, this ubiquity of cues might increase the incentive salience of sports betting in young individuals long before they reach the minimum legal age for gambling.…”