Across Australia, gambling advertising continues to be a major issue for responsible gambling advocates as the express concerns about the tactics used by betting operators. A recent study has taken a look into the methods used by bookmakers across the country, and has found that they have taken some tips from tobacco companies.
The research was carried out by researchers at Deakin University, examining how bookmakers use advertising to normalise gambling. The study found that more and more betting companies are relying on the use of sexual objectification, fan rituals and mateship symbolism to make gambling appear to be a part of everyday Australian life.
"The same playbook that we saw in tobacco and alcohol is happening again," says Samantha Thomas, a researcher at Deakin University. "It's being depicted in advertising as though it's part of Aussie culture – this idea that if you're a true Aussie bloke, you go to the pub, you hang with your mates, you watch your sport and now you also gamble on sport as well”. 85 advertisements from 11 operators were examined as part of the study.
Companies like Ladbrokes, William Hill and Crownbet were all scrutinised for their marketing practices. The research team found that many ads used imagery relating to fan rituals and mateship, depicting people watching sports with friends and cheering on their favourite teams. While it seems like these ads are only showing you sports fans being engaged, it also suggests that you can’t be a true sports fan without gambling.
Another popular method used by betting operators was sexual objectification, which showed women subservient roles to men. Many of these ads communicate that betting somehow makes men more attractive to women and provides them with more control in these relationships. These are just a few examples of the 10 main appeal strategies that are used by gambling operators. The full list includes:
- sexual imagery
- thrill and risk
- sports fan behaviours
- mateship
- winning
- social status
- adventure
- patriotism
- happiness
- power and control
The research team compares these tactics to those used by tobacco companies before they were banned from advertising. However, bookmakers reject any comparison that could be made between them and tobacco companies.
Ben Sleep, Chief Financial Officer of SportsBet argues: "It has been proven that every single cigarette does you harm whereas it is only a very small percentage of consumers who are at risk of developing an issue with wagering. Sportsbet is continually developing world's best practice harm minimisation measures”.
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