Brand Knowledge, Similarity to Story Characters and Perceived Influence of Gambling Advertising Among Spanish Sports Bettors: a Survey Study

Abstract

The saturation of advertising stimuli to gamble has become a major source of concern in many countries, especially when it comes to sports betting. Despite the growth of advertising restrictions, very few evidence-based recommendations are readily available for policymakers. Furthermore, advertising is a cultural construct, and country-specific studies are needed to address the singularities of each market. The present paper provides empirical evidence concerning the impact of advertising gathered from a survey-based research with Spanish sports bettors (N = 659). The results indicate that those gamblers experiencing more severe gambling problems also report higher knowledge of bookmakers’ brands, higher similarity to the main story characters in sports betting advertisements and a higher perceived influence of advertising on their behaviour. The results also found no differences between age and gender in terms of advertising impact. These findings will help inform Spanish regulation that seeks to reduce the negative effects of advertising.