Creating symbolic cultures of consumption: an analysis of the content of sports wagering advertisements in Australia

Background: Since 2008, Australia has seen the rapid emergence of marketing for online and mobile sports wagering. Previous research from other areas of public health, such as tobacco and alcohol, has identified the range of appeal strategies these industries used to align their products with culturally valued symbols. However, there is very limited research that has investigated the tactics the sports wagering industry uses within marketing to influence the consumption of its products and services. Method: This study consisted of a mixed method interpretive content analysis of 85 sports wagering advertisements from 11 Australian and multinational wagering companies. Advertisements were identified via internet searches and industry websites. A coding framework was applied to investigate the extent and nature of symbolic appeal strategies within advertisements. Results: Ten major appeal strategies emerged from this analysis. These included sports fan rituals and behaviours; mateship; gender stereotypes; winning; social status; adventure, thrill and risk; happiness; sexualised imagery; power and control; and patriotism. Symbols relating to sports fan rituals and behaviours, and mateship, were the most common strategies used within the advertisements. Discussion/Conclusions: This research suggests that the appeal strategies used by the sports wagering industry are similar to those strategies adopted by other unhealthy commodity industries. With respect to gambling, analysis revealed that strategies are clearly targeted to young male sports fans. Researchers and public health practitioners should seek to better understand the impact of marketing on the normalisation of sports wagering for this audience segment, and implement strategies to prevent gambling harm

How risky is Internet gambling? a comparison of subgroups of Internet gamblers based on problem gambling status

Internet gambling offers unique features that may facilitate the development or exacerbation of gambling disorders. Higher rates of disordered gambling have been found amongst Internet than with land-based gamblers; however little research has explored whether Internet disordered gamblers are a distinct subgroup. The current study compared problem with non-problem and at-risk Internet gamblers to understand further why some Internet gamblers experience gambling-related harms, using an online survey with a sample of 2799 Australian Internet gamblers. Problem gambling respondents were younger, less educated, had higher household debt, lost more money and gambled on a greater number of activities, and were more likely to use drugs while gambling than non-problem and at-risk gamblers. Problem gamblers had more irrational beliefs about gambling, were more likely to believe the harms of gambling to outweigh the benefits, that gambling is morally wrong and that all types of gambling should be illegal. For problem gamblers, Internet gambling poses unique problems related to electronic payment and constant availability, leading to disrupted sleeping and eating patterns. However, a significant proportion of Internet problem gambling respondents also had problems related to terrestrial gambling, highlighting the importance of considering overall gambling involvement when examining subgroups of gamblers. It is argued that policy makers should consider carefully how features of Internet gambling contribute to gambling disorders requiring the implementation of evidence-based responsible gambling strategies