Exposure to gambling advertising and adolescent gambling behaviour. Moderating effects of perceived family support

Red Light or Green Light? Netflix Series' Squid Game Influence on Young Adults' Gambling-Related Beliefs, Attitudes and Behaviors, and the Role of Audience Involvement

Media exposure for dark consumption products mostly shows glamorized and positive portrayals, rarely showing the negative consequences of consuming those products. However, the Netflix series Squid Game addresses the issue of gambling in its most extreme forms and shows the negative consequences related to it in a shocking manner, which begs the question whether watching the series could act as a preventive tool to increase risk perceptions, de-normalize gambling and reduce gambling behavior. A pre-registered survey study (N = 271) examined whether watching the Netflix series Squid Game affected young adults' (18 to 35 years old) gambling intentions and play behavior through risk perceptions, subjective norms and attitudes toward gambling, and what role audience involvement plays. Although the results show that watching Squid Game increased young adults' subjective norms of gambling (i.e. belief that significant others approve of the behavior in question) and further increased their positive attitudes toward gambling and gambling intention, the study also found an important impact of audience involvement. Audiences who were more involved with the series saw greater risks of gambling and perceived gambling to be less common. This resulted in more negative attitudes toward gambling and further less gambling intention and more motivation to change gambling behavior due to watching Squid Game.

Childhood use of coin pusher and crane grab machines, and adult gambling: A conceptual replication of Newall et al. (2021)

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Youth gambling research mainly focuses on the illegal use of age-restricted machines, but coin pusher and crane grab machines are gambling machines that can be used by people of any age in the UK, and are also in use internationally. Previous cross-sectional evidence has associated recollected childhood usage of these machines with adult gambling participation and levels of problem gambling amongst adult gamblers. We attempted to conceptually replicate the findings of one of these studies (Newall et al., 2021), while addressing some limitations of that study.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey of 2,000 UK-based and -born participants aged 19-24 years. The measures were participants' recollected usage of coin pusher and crane grab machines as a child, whether they had gambled in the past 12-months or not, and the PGSI for past 12-month gamblers.

RESULTS

Overall, 5 of 7 tested associations were significant and in the hypothesized direction. Logistic regression models showed that adult gamblers were more likely to recollect using, and used at higher levels of frequency, coin pusher and crane grab machines, than non-gamblers. Then, negative binomial regression analysis showed that adults who recollected using crane grab machines at higher levels of frequency showed more gambling-related problems.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that childhood usage of coin pusher and crane grab machines may act as an underappreciated risk factor for the development of gambling-related harm across the lifespan. This information may be considered for further youth gambling research and policy.

Exposure to gambling promotions and gambling behaviours in Australian secondary school students

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Adolescent gambling has been associated with a range of harms.

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Young people are increasingly exposed to media promotion and advertising of gambling.

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No studies have examined the relative impact of different types of advertisements.

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We found an association between online gambling ad exposure and gambling behaviours.

Background

Young people’s gambling behaviours are associated with a range of individual, interpersonal and community factors. This study explored the association between exposure to types of gambling advertising and promotions and adolescent gambling behaviours.

Methods

Students from two states answered gambling questions as part of the 2017 Australian Secondary Students’ Alcohol and Drug (ASSAD) Survey. Students reported gambling behaviours (gambling in the last month, types of gambling activities), exposure to gambling promotions during the last 30 days (e.g. ads for gambling on TV, online, live studio crosses), and were assessed for problem gambling. Principal Component Analysis suggested four groups of gambling promotion exposure. Logistic regression analyses examined the association between gambling promotion exposure and student gambling, engagement in hard gambling activities in the last month, and problem or at risk gambling, controlling for a range of student characteristics.

Results

Most students (81%) had been exposed to some form of gambling promotion or advertisement in the last month, most commonly TV, social media and sporting event advertisements. Exposure to online gambling ads (including websites, pop-ups on websites, and social media) in the last month was significantly associated with gambling in the last month, and being classified as an at risk or problem gambler; but not with participating in hard gambling activities. After adjusting for exposure to gambling advertising across categories, no other advertising exposure types were associated with adolescent gambling behaviours.

Conclusions

Study findings point to the need to impose restrictions on gambling advertisements and promotions, particularly those presented online.

The Gambling Habits of University Students in Aragon, Spain: A Cross-Sectional Study

Gambling has become a routine form of entertainment for many young people. The aim of this study was to describe the gambling behavior that university students are developing in Aragon, Spain, and to analyze whether these habits are more common among students of sports science, on the assumption that they are more likely to have a higher exposure to betting company marketing. A cross-sectional design was applied, with data collected on advertising exposure, gambling habits and experiences, and opinions on the impact of gambling and its regulation from 516 undergraduate students from the University of Zaragoza. The online survey included ad hoc questions and the “Pathological Gambling Short Questionnaire” to screen for potential gambling disorders. Almost half of the sample had bet money at least once in their life (48.1%), and 2.4% screened positive for consideration of a possible diagnosis of pathological gambling. Betting shops (44.2%) were the most common gambling option, and students of sports science showed a higher prevalence of pathological gambling and had greater tendencies to make bets. Gambling is perceived as a normal leisure activity by a significant part of university students. The development of transversal strategies is required to raise awareness towards the potential dangers of gambling.

The Prevalence and Correlates of Gambling in Australian Secondary School Students

Youth gambling is associated with a range of harms. This study aimed to examine, among Australian adolescents, the prevalence of gambling (ever, in the last month, at-risk and problem), the most frequent gambling types and modalities, and to explore the student characteristics associated with gambling in the last month and with at-risk or problem gambling. Students aged 12–17 years from Victoria and Queensland answered gambling questions as part of the Australian Secondary School Alcohol and Drug (ASSAD) Survey in 2017. The ASSAD also included a series of questions about smoking, alcohol and other drug use, and mental health. A total of 6377 students from 93 schools were included in analysis. The prevalence of ever gambling and gambling in the last month was 31% and 6% respectively. Of students who had gambled in the last month, 34% were classified as at-risk and 15% were classified as problem gamblers. The most frequent types of gambling in the last month were horse or dog race and sports betting. Students who gambled in the last month did so most frequently via a parent or guardian purchasing or playing for them, at home or at a friends’ house, and online or using an app. Regression analysis indicated that male gender, having money available to spend on self, alcohol consumption in the last seven days, the number of types of advertisements seen in the last month, and the number of peer or family members who gambled in the last month, were significantly associated with the likelihood of students gambling in the last month. Male gender, some age categories, and exposure to more types of gambling advertising were also significant predictors of being classified as an at-risk or problem gambler. This large study of youth gambling provides data on gambling behaviours and related variables from a large sample of Australian secondary school students. Student characteristics, including male gender and exposure to more types of gambling advertising, were associated with an increased likelihood of gambling in the last month and of being classified as an at-risk or problem gambler. Further implications of the study findings are discussed.

[Spanish adaptation of the Gambling Advertising Impact Scale for adolescents]

La presión mediática de publicidad de apuestas ha alcanzado niveles preocupantes. Constituye un riesgo para la salud mental de los jóvenes y adolescentes al promover una actitud favorable hacia las apuestas, una mayor frecuencia de juego y una percepción de mayor accesibilidad. En la actualidad no se dispone de un instrumento capaz de evaluar el impacto de la publicidad de apuestas.

Objetivo

Adaptar y validar la Escala de Impacto de Publicidad de Apuestas (IGAS, Impact of Gambling Advertising Scale).

Diseño

Investigación instrumental. La escala IGAS fue traducida del inglés garantizando su equivalencia lingüística, conceptual y métrica. A continuación, se comprobaron las propiedades psicométricas.

Emplazamiento

Comunidad Valenciana (España).

Participantes

1.724 adolescentes con una media de 16,52 años (DT = 0,759).

Intervención Se administró un cuestionario autoaplicado en formato de papel en una única medida.

Principales medidas

Impacto de la publicidad, severidad e intención de apostar, y accesibilidad.

Resultados

La consistencia interna y la fiabilidad dos mitades fueron buenas, α de Cronbach = 0,782 y 0,70, respectivamente. El análisis factorial confirmatorio concluyó que la versión española reproduce la original de tres dimensiones. Los análisis de la validez convergente mostraron relaciones directas y significativas con diferentes aspectos de la conducta de juego, y otros factores predictores.

Conclusión

La versión adaptada de la IGAS es una medida fiable y válida para la evaluación del impacto de la publicidad en adolescentes. La escala es un instrumento útil para el diagnóstico del nivel de riesgo y la evaluación de intervenciones preventivas.

Gambling among 16-year-olds and associated covariates: A Nordic comparison

Aims: This study aimed to compare the prevalence in different gambling types as well as problem gambling in the Nordic countries, examining gambling, leisure activities, school truancy, parental relations and consumption of alcohol and other substances as covariates for problem gambling. Methods: Cross-country data were provided by the European Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) 2015. Prevalence of gambling and potential covariates were analysed for Denmark, Finland, Iceland Norway and Sweden (N=13,172 respondents aged 16 years), while analyses regarding problem gambling only included countries that participated in the optional questions on gambling problems (Denmark, Finland and Sweden; N=8108). We tested variables for problem gambling by bivariate logistic regression and multivariate logistic regression. Results: Cross-country differences were found in gambling and problem gambling, as well as differences in covariates for problem gambling. Sweden had the lowest rate of problem gambling. No significant difference was found between Denmark and Finland. Reports of too much gaming, inhalants, slots, betting and online gambling were positively associated with problem gambling, while parental monitoring and parental caring had a negative association. The relevance of the covariates varied across countries. Conclusions: Results indicate that although gambling regulation and its implementation have an important impact on gambling behaviour, we need more research on social, economic and cultural factors and how youth understand and interact with them. Contexts and regulations in other related fields should inform gambling research, policies and interventions.