Gambling advertising during live televised male sporting events in Ireland: A descriptive study

Understanding mediated sports consumption by Irish children: a qualitative study exploring their exposure and understanding of gambling marketing, risks and harms

BACKGROUND

Gambling marketing communications create a public health risk by increasing the normalisation of gambling in sports. In a context where broad level studies report significant underage gambling, currently no evidence exists on how these communications are received by children in the Republic of Ireland (hereafter Ireland) and Northern Ireland. To build this evidence base and provide granular detail below broad level data, this study explored the sport consumption habits and views of Irish children (aged 14-17 years) on their exposure, awareness and perceptions of the relationship between sport and gambling.

METHODS

Drawing on a constructivist approach to data collection, 6 face-to-face focus groups were staged with a total of 51 youth sport consumers from both sides of the border region on the island of Ireland.

RESULTS

Four main themes were established. First, mediated sport consumption was predominantly via mobile social media. Second, we found that their exposure to gambling marketing was high and while frequently seen through social media channels it was also prevalent in peer-to-peer conversations and on the main street. Third, we found mixed responses on their perceptions about gambling and sport. While many felt that sport and gambling were a good fit, they were aware of the financial risks involved. Few children understood the wider social risks with gambling harm. Fourth, children were sceptical of claims made in gambling communications. These findings highlight concerns about how exposure to gambling marketing is impacting children's views on sport and on gambling. These views need to be taken into consideration when broadcasters and sport organizations are entering into commercial associations.

CONCLUSIONS

Gambling marketing is noticed by children watching mass and social media, and in the towns in the border regions of the island of Ireland. Our study provides children's viewpoints on this topic which complements the larger quantitative studies in Ireland and Northern Ireland that highlight the growing prevalence of children and gambling. This study not only extends the literature on the exposure, awareness and perceptions of children on the island of Ireland but provides crucial evidence to public health advocates in this region demonstrating the pervasiveness of gambling communications in and around children's spaces.

When Games Influence Words: Gaming Addiction among College Students Increases Verbal Aggression through Risk-Biased Drifting in Decision-Making

Increased aggression due to gaming addiction is a widespread and highly publicized problem. The underlying processes by which verbal aggression, a more harmful and persistent subcategory of aggression, is affected by gaming addiction may differ from other types of aggression. In this study, data came from 252 randomly recruited current university students (50.79% male, mean age 19.60 years, SD: 1.44 years, range 17 to 29 years). Participants reported gaming addiction and different types of aggression through questionnaires. In addition, two important explanatory processes, inhibitory control, and risk preference, were measured through behavioral experiments. A Bayesian hierarchical drift-diffusion model was employed to interpret the data from the risk preference task. In contrast to previous work, the study found that inhibitory control did not significantly correlate with either gaming addiction or any form of aggression However, the drift rate, a measure of decision-making inclination under risk, partially mediates the relationship between gaming addiction and verbal aggression (but not other forms of aggression). The findings illuminate risk preference under adverse conditions as a key predictor of verbal aggression, offering avenues for early intervention and suggesting game design modifications to mitigate verbal aggression by adjusting reward mechanisms.

A descriptive pilot survey of behavioural addictions in an adolescent secondary school population in Ireland

OBJECTIVES

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the levels of possible internet addiction, gaming addiction, gambling addiction and associated mental health difficulties in a secondary school population in Ireland.

METHODS

An online survey containing questions related to internet addiction, gaming addiction, gambling addiction and associated mental health difficulties was administered to secondary school adolescents in Ireland. Participants were self-selecting and answered questions on the characteristics of each topic and screening questionnaires for addiction to each behaviour, as well as their respective effects on mental health.

RESULTS

A total of 234 children participated in the survey (156 males; aged 12-18 years; average age of 14.2 years; S.D. 1.60). Internet addiction as assessed using the Chen Internet Addiction Scale was present for between 11.5% and 22.6% and levels of gaming addiction as assessed using by the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form was present for between 0.5% and 1.6%. Weak positive correlations were found between time spent on the internet and time spent gaming with internet addiction and gaming addiction, respectively. There were weak positive correlations between higher internet addiction scores, higher gaming addiction scores, and increased depression and anxiety scores. Using the South Oaks Gambling Screen-Revised for Adolescents, two participants were classed as 'at-risk' for gambling addiction and one participant was classed as a problem gambler.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study examined behavioural addictions and their effects on mental health on a self-selecting sample of schoolchildren at two schools in Ireland. A low number were identified as being at risk or problem gamblers.

A Longitudinal Examination of Young People's Gambling Behaviours and Participation in Team Sports

This paper develops and expands upon social identity theory as an explanation for gambling among youth engaged in team sport. Analysing longitudinal data for over 4500 20-year-olds from the Growing Up in Ireland study, reveals that online gambling increased from 2.6 to 9.3% between 17 and 20 years in the cohort, with the increase driven by males. A statistically significant positive association is uncovered between playing team sports and regularly gambling, as well as online gambling behaviour, independent of socio-demographic and other risk factors for males but not for females. The findings provide support for a dose-response like effect for males, where a longer period of participation in team sports is associated with a higher likelihood of engaging in gambling behaviour compared to shorter periods. Implications of the findings for policy and practice are discussed.

A Thematic Analysis of Sports Bettors’ Perceptions of Sports Betting Marketing Strategies in the UK

In the UK and other countries in the world, the volume of gambling advertisements is increasing, as is the popularity of online sports betting. While there is increasing research examining the content of such advertising, there is little research examining what gamblers themselves think about such advertising. Consequently, the aim of the present study was to firstly, explore the attitudes and opinions of sports bettors in response to marketing techniques used by the gambling industry and secondly, explore the perceived impact advertising has on their sports betting behavior. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sample of 19 UK sports bettors aged between 21 and 32 years old. Thematic analysis (TA) was used to analyze the transcripts. The analysis identified three main themes: (i) “temptation to gamble,” (ii) “promotion characteristics of gambling,” and (iii) “regulating gambling advertising.” Each theme consisted of two or three subthemes that illustrated the underlying factors that were perceived to be important aspects that contributed to the opinions and attitudes towards the advertising. Findings indicate that specific inducements including enhanced odds and “request-a-bet” promotions were perceived to increase feelings of control and reduce feelings of risk, in some cases resulting in the placing of impulsive bets. According to the participants, social media marketing was found to be intrusive and the frequency of gambling advertising contributed to the normalization of betting. The present study highlights the need for further research into the efficacy of current advertising regulations in the UK, with the end goal of minimizing gambling-related harm.