Betting is Loving and Bettors are Predators: A Conceptual Metaphor Approach to Online Sports Betting Advertising

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Abstract

The legalisation of online gambling in multiple territories has caused a growth in the exposure of consumers to online sports betting (OSB) advertising. While some efforts have been made to understand the visible structure of betting promotional messages, little is known about the latent components of OSB advertisements. The present study sought to address this issue by examining the metaphorical conceptualisation of OSB advertising. A sample of Spanish and British television OSB advertisements from 2014 to 2016 was analysed (N = 133). Following Lakoff and Johnson’s conceptual metaphor theory, four main structural metaphors that shaped how OSB advertising can be understood were identified: betting as (1) an act of love, (2) a market, (3) a sport, and (4) a natural environment. In general, these metaphors, which were found widely across 29 different betting brands, facilitated the perception of bettors as active players, with an executive role in the sport events bet upon, and greater control over bet outcomes.

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Demographic, Behavioural and Normative Risk Factors for Gambling Problems Amongst Sports Bettors

Nerilee Hing, Alex M. T. Russell, Peter Vitartas … (2015)

Sports betting is growing exponentially, is heavily marketed and successfully targets young adult males. Associated gambling problems are increasing. Therefore, understanding risk factors for problem gambling amongst sports bettors is an increasingly important area of research to inform the appropriate design and targeting of public health and treatment interventions. This study aimed to identify demographic, behavioural and normative risk factors for gambling problems amongst sports bettors. An online survey of 639 Australian sports bettors using online, telephone and retail betting channels was conducted. Results indicated that vulnerable sports bettors for higher risk gambling are those who are young, male, single, educated, and employed full-time or a full-time student. Risk of problem gambling was also found to increase with greater frequency and expenditure on sports betting, greater diversity of gambling involvement, and with more impulsive responses to betting opportunities, including in-play live action betting. Normative influences from media advertising and from significant others were also associated with greater problem gambling risk. The results of this study can inform a suite of intervention, protection and treatment initiatives targeted especially at young male adults and adolescents that can help to limit the harm from this gambling form.

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"It's just everywhere!" Children and parents discuss the marketing of sports wagering in Australia.

Hannah Pitt, Samantha L. Thomas, Amy Bestman … (2016)

To investigate how children and adults recall the content and promotional channels for sports wagering marketing.

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

Emily Deans, Samantha L. Thomas, Jeffrey Derevensky … (2017)

Background Gambling can cause significant health and social harms for individuals, their families, and communities. While many studies have explored the individual factors that may lead to and minimise harmful gambling, there is still limited knowledge about the broader range of factors that may contribute to gambling harm. There are significant regulations to prevent the marketing of some forms of gambling but comparatively limited regulations relating to the marketing of newer forms of online gambling such as sports betting. There is a need for better information about how marketing strategies may be shaping betting attitudes and behaviours and the range of policy and regulatory responses that may help to prevent the risky or harmful consumption of these products. Methods We conducted qualitative, semi-structured interviews with 50 Australian men (aged 20–37 years) who gambled on sports. We explored their attitudes and opinions regarding sports betting marketing, the embedding of marketing within sports and other non-gambling community environments, and the implications this had for the normalisation of betting. Results Our findings indicate that most of the environments in which participants reported seeing or hearing betting advertisements were not in environments specifically designed for betting. Participants described that the saturation of marketing for betting products, including through sports-based commentary and sports programming, normalised betting. Participants described that the inducements offered by the industry were effective marketing strategies in getting themselves and other young men to bet on sports. Inducements were also linked with feelings of greater control over betting outcomes and stimulated some individuals to sign up with more than one betting provider. Conclusions This research suggests that marketing plays a strong role in the normalisation of gambling in sports. This has the potential to increase the risks and subsequent harms associated with these products. Legislators must begin to consider the cultural lag between an evolving gambling landscape, which supports sophisticated marketing strategies, and effective policies and practices which aim to reduce and prevent gambling harm.

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Author and article information

Contributors

Hibai Lopez-Gonzalez:

ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1249-2623

+44 07856551592 , hibai.lopezgonzalez@ntu.ac.uk

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): J Gambl Stud

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): J Gambl Stud

Title: Journal of Gambling Studies

Publisher: Springer US (New York )

ISSN (Print): 1050-5350

ISSN (Electronic): 1573-3602

Publication date (Electronic): 30 October 2017

Publication date PMC-release: 30 October 2017

Publication date (Print): 2018

Volume: 34

Issue: 3

Pages: 709-726

Affiliations

[1 ]ISNI 0000 0001 0727 0669, GRID grid.12361.37, International Gaming Research Unit, Psychology Division, , Nottingham Trent University, ; 50 Shakespeare Street, Nottingham, NG1 4FQ UK

[2 ]ISNI 0000 0001 2172 2676, GRID grid.5612.0, Department of Communication, , Pompeu Fabra University, ; Roc Boronat, 138, 52.825, 08018 Barcelona, Spain

[3 ]ISNI 0000 0001 0941 7046, GRID grid.14724.34, Psychology Department, , University of Deusto, ; Apartado 1, 48080 Bilbao, Spain

Author information

Hibai Lopez-Gonzalez http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1249-2623

Frederic Guerrero-Solé http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8145-8707

Article

Publisher ID: 9727

DOI: 10.1007/s10899-017-9727-x

PMC ID: 6096495

PubMed ID: 29086114

SO-VID: 403f9d26-35a5-498d-a123-44c733a9ab5a

License:

Open AccessThis article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.

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Funding

Funded by: FundRef http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100003086, Eusko Jaurlaritza;

Award ID: POS_2015_1_0062

Award Recipient : Hibai Lopez-Gonzalez

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ScienceOpen disciplines: Health & Social care

Keywords: sports betting,advertising,soccer,online,metaphor,narrative,gambling

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ScienceOpen disciplines: Health & Social care

Keywords: sports betting, advertising, soccer, online, metaphor, narrative, gambling

Betting is Loving and Bettors are Predators: A Conceptual Metaphor Approach to Online Sports Betting Advertising

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Most cited references 40

Demographic, Behavioural and Normative Risk Factors for Gambling Problems Amongst Sports Bettors

"It's just everywhere!" Children and parents discuss the marketing of sports wagering in Australia.

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

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