An experimental study to test the impact of including betting odds in digital gambling ads for sports betting

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Author(s): De Jans, Steffi

Journal: International Gambling Studies

Year Published: 2022

Date Added: September 06, 2022

Digital gambling marketing is mainly sports-related. Odds advertising is one advertising strategy within digital sports betting advertising. This refers to advertising that includes the odds of winning. The researcher of this study examined how including betting odds in digital gambling advertising for sports betting affects young adults’ gambling intentions and attitudes. An experiment was designed to see how people responded to one of four different conditions: 1) a social media ad with odds advertising; 2) a social media ad without the odds; 3) an online banner ad with odds advertising; and 4) an online banner ad without the odds. A total of 150 people between 18 and 25 years participated in this study. Young adults were more persuaded by the sports betting ad that included betting odds compared to the ad that did not show betting odds. Including betting odds led to more positive feelings (e.g., excited) towards the sports betting ad. This then led to higher gambling intentions and gambling attitudes. But this relationship was only found for men and not women. Also, the advertising format (social media or online banner) did not make a difference.

Citation: De Jans, S. (2022). The effectiveness of betting odds in digital gambling advertising for sports betting. International Gambling Studies. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/14459795.2022.2079705

Article DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14459795.2022.2079705

Keywords: advertising ; betting ; betting inducements ; gambling advertisements ; gambling attitudes ; intention to gamble ; marketing ; sports betting

Topics: Gambling Cognitions ; Gambling Exposure ; Information for Operators ; Sports Betting

Conceptual Framework Factors: Gambling Types ; Exposure - Marketing and Messaging ; Cultural - Socio-cultural Attitudes ; Resources - Harm Reduction, Prevention, and Protection ; Gambling Exposure ; Gambling Resources

Study Design: Experimental: RCT (randomized controlled trial)

Geographic Coverage: Belgium

Study Population: Young adults aged 18 to 25 years (n = 150). On average, participants were 21 years of age. Most were women (58%). Most were students (82.7%), and 76.7% said that they already gambled. Only 32% of participants already bet on sports. Most participants were classified as having no gambling problem (40%). And 34.8% were classified as having low risk, 20% were moderate-risk, and 5.2% were classified as people who gamble in a problematic way.

Sampling Procedure: Participants were recruited using convenience sampling through social media. In total, 190 people started the online experiment. But 40 people answered none or almost none of the questions. So, responses from 150 participants from 18 to 25 years were including in the final sample.

Study Funding:

This study was funded by Research Foundation – Flanders under Grant 12R9222N.