Abstract
Considering the financial connections between sport and the gambling industry, more should be learned about gambling and problem gambling in this setting. This study explores how male athletes, coaches, and sports managers experience gambling activities and problems in their sports. Interviews were conducted with 30 male elite athletes, coaches, and managers in four sports. The interviews were analysed using content analysis, and the results indicated two main themes: 1) desire for and concerns with money and 2) in the shadow of performance, and three categories. The first main theme emerged as a result of the respondents recurring reference to money as the reason to different actions: It is important to win money,’too little’ or ‘too much’ money is described as reason for gambling, athletes status is affected by money and sponsor money from the gambling companies are considered important. ‘In the shadow of the performance’ captures the reason to and value of performance: The thrill and money are rewards for the gambling performance, everyday sporting life emphasizes performance both in training and matches. Lack of successful performance is perceived as a threat and evokes a fear of being seen as weak and being ejected from the team. This study identifies gambling as normalized within male elite sport. Preventing gambling problems calls for action at all levels of the involved socio-ecological framework. Management, coaches, and athletes need more knowledge of gambling and how to create a sustainable framework to prevent gambling problems.
Highlights
Sport and GamblingSport is generally connected to physical activity and health outcomes, but for many, it is connected to gambling and hopes of winning money
Problem gambling is considered a public health problem unequally distributed in society (Rodgers et al 2015), as studies show that socio-economically weaker groups gamble less but have a higher proportion of gambling problems
Men have a higher proportion of gambling problems than do women and younger men generally have a higher risk of problem gambling (Public Health Agency of Sweden 2016; Billi et al 2015)
Summary
Sport and GamblingSport is generally connected to physical activity and health outcomes, but for many, it is connected to gambling and hopes of winning money. Knowledge of the economic connections between betting, sponsorship, and advertising as well as testimonies and studies regarding problem gambling among athletes have suggested that athletes and even coaches may be societal groups with a higher risk of gambling problems than the general population. A commonly reported prevalence rate is 2%, a figure derived from merging groups with “moderate-risk gambling” and “problem gambling”. These labels describe individuals experiencing some adverse consequences of their gambling and are usually used when addressing populations rather than individuals. Men have a higher proportion of gambling problems than do women and younger men generally have a higher risk of problem gambling (Public Health Agency of Sweden 2016; Billi et al 2015).
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