According to a recent study released by Deakin University, young adults can feel pressured to make sports betting a day-to-day activity while they watch sports with friends because of the incentives offered through ads. The study warns of various risks and highlights changes that could be made in sports broadcasting in order to lower gambling addiction risks.
Many academics call for commentators restrictions on quoting sports odds during the games while limiting bonus bets that are offered especially by the online betting websites. This is all based on the studies that are quoted as having “disturbing findings”.
Samantha Thomas, associate professor at the university’s Health And Social Development department declared that the previous studies done examined just the way in which marketing campaigns affected the gamblers with problems. The new study focused on the influence of sports betting ads and pressure on those that do not have heavy gambling habits. She declared that sports betting products marketing campaigns are saturated and create the perception that “sports betting is a normal part of watching sport with your mates.” Such a belief is obviously highly problematic and potentially dangerous.
According to the research, the young adults participating in the study acknowledged the fact that marketing materials and sports betting incentives made them want to gamble more often. At the same time, they did gamble with more money than what they did till then or what they would have initially wanted to gamble. What was particularly worrying is the fact that many did not understand that there are specific terms and conditions associated with the bonuses. Most young adults thought that the bonuses or the extras offered acted like safety nets and that they were not actually exposing themselves to risks.
The main idea to remember is that the promotion of various gambling offers during sporting shows and games creates the perception that the teams and the athletes are directly involved in promoting gambling. It is also thought that sports personalities are encouraging gambling. Sponsorships associated with sports clubs is also seen as encouraging gambling. A narrative that talks about odds instead of the game’s technical aspects leads to the perception that all is a part of watching sports.
It is no secret that sports goes hand in hand with sports betting. Personalities in the industry have sponsorship contracts and promote the offers. Young adults that do not have knowledge about sports betting are falling victims to the promotions because of social pressure and advertising that is not properly understood.
While the results of the research conducted by the Deakin University is worrying, it is not expected to change anything in how sports events will always be seen as a perfect medium to recruit new gamblers. Sports betting reached an all-time high. Out of all the age groups, young adult males are more susceptible to the ads. This is due to a lack of knowledge about how sports betting works and the associated terms of conditions present whenever special offers are presented.