Abstract
BackgroundSince 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.MethodThis 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.ResultsTen 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/ConclusionsThis 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.
Highlights
Each year, about 400,000 Australian adults experience gambling related problems or are at moderate risk of experiencing problems [1]
This included imagery of fans at venues or watching games on television – cheering for their teams, waving banners, and wearing team uniforms, jerseys, or scarves. These advertisements were often linked to companies that had sponsorship deals with sporting teams or codes – in particular Centrebet.com.au (St Kilda Australian Football League (AFL) Football Club); TAB.com.au (‘Socceroos’the Australian National Men’s Football (Soccer) Team); Williamhill.com.au (Carlton AFL Football Club); and CrownBet.com.au (AFL)
Our study suggests that the sports wagering industry may be operating from the same playbook, using multiple symbolic consumption strategies to influence the social acceptance of sports wagering, shaping the cultural meanings that specific audience segments have about the relationship between gambling and sport [27, 28]
Summary
Background Each year, about 400,000 Australian adults experience gambling related problems or are at moderate risk of experiencing problems [1]. While Electronic Gambling Machines (pokies or slots) have been identified as the most harmful form of gambling [15,16,17], there is limited information about the impacts of other forms of gambling, such as sports wagering, on the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities. This includes the range of strategies that may be used by the wagering industry to promote their products and services [18, 19]. 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
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