Betting is a big problem worldwide — and some parts of the world are particularly vulnerable to its effects. Both in high-income countries and low-income areas, a significant part of the population gambles. According to some estimates, 4.2 billion people (more than half the world’s population) gambles more than once a year.

Different countries regulate betting in different ways. While a minority of countries (like Norway) have very strict regulatory approach to betting and drastically limit how betting ads can be shown, in most countries, betting is regulated far more loosely. If these countries hope that the sporting industry can self-regulate and reduce the number of betting ads, they’re wrong.

Bombarded with gambling ads

During a single NBA match (the Toronto Raptors vs the Chicago Bulls), researchers noted 799 gambling messages, both during the game broadcast and on official social media channels. Almost half (48%) of the logged social media gambling adverts flouted an important national advertising regulation.

Overall, the researchers tracked over 4,100 gambling messages spread over just seven NHL and NBA matches over a five-day period (October 25-29, 2023). In addition to the games themselves, the researchers also tracked 10 licensed gambling brand’s social media accounts, using analysis models from previous research in the UK, focused on Premier League football. The goal was to assess how many fans are exposed to gambling advertising.

It’s not a comprehensive analysis, but it goes to show just how many viewers are exposed to betting during a few games. Co-lead researcher Dr Jamie Wheaton, Research Associate at the University of Bristol, said:

“The sheer volume of gambling marketing shown during NHL and NBA games shows they are inescapable. Audiences, including children, are bombarded with logos widely visible, as well as studio coverage dedicated specifically to sports betting. This risks the normalisation of gambling as part of sports coverage, with hardly any acknowledgement made to the significant risks gambling poses.”

“The total duration of gambling messages being shown on TV averaged 39.8 minutes per match broadcast, including studio discussions. In other words, every hour of coverage included an average of 13 minutes that contained a gambling message,” Dr Wheaton added.

Vulnerable viewers (like children) also see the ads

There was a striking diversity of betting messages during the games. At the same time, just 2.6% of these messages contained a harm reduction message, and just 2.8% of messages contained age restriction messaging. The researchers emphasize that the entire audience is shown these ads, including children.

There’s another issue. Around half of all the social media ads were not clearly identifiable as ads. Not only is this highly immoral, but it’s also illegal in Canada, where the study was carried out.

The target audience was also clearly identifiable from the people featured in the ads. Almost everyone (98%) in the ads were men, and 79% were 18-34 years old.

“Our study highlights a serious issue with social media gambling marketing, notably content marketing. There is an urgent need to strengthen regulations to protect consumers — in particular children, who are especially vulnerable to such sneaky advertising techniques,” Rossi added.

The researchers conclude that the regulations seem unable to control the volume and format of gambling and that we need international collaboration to truly tackle the issue.

Rossi concludes:

“Unlike mature regulations in jurisdictions with years of legal online sports betting, Ontario’s regulatory framework feels somewhat immature. This poses a significant challenge, as the gambling industry, with giants like FanDuel, Betfair and Skybet, being part of one huge multinational cooperation with extensive experience operating in multiple jurisdictions.

“Countering their knowledge with new regulations is nearly impossible. So we need to join forces and foster much greater international collaboration to effectively regulate betting practices.”

You can read the report in its entirety here.