Exposure to different types of gambling promotions and gambling behaviours among Australian secondary school students

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Author(s): Noble, Natasha ; Freund, Megan ; Hill, David ; White, Victoria ; Leigh, Lucy ; Lambkin, David ; Scully, Maree ; Sanson-Fisher, Robert

Journal: Addictive Behaviors Reports

Year Published: 2022

Date Added: August 12, 2022

Adolescent gambling can lead to harms. Harms may include missing and dropping out of school, family disruptions, and substance use. Advertising can have a powerful impact on children and adolescents’ health behaviours. The purpose of this study was to explore the links between exposure to types of gambling advertising and promotions and adolescent gambling behaviours. The researchers used data from the 2017 Australian Secondary Students’ Alcohol and Drug (ASSAD) survey. A total of 6,377 student responses were used in this study. About 6% of students reported gambling in the past month. Most students (81%) had been exposed to some form of gambling promotion or advertisement in the last month. This was most commonly seen on television (85%), social media (46%), or at sporting events (40%). Exposure to online gambling (e.g., websites, social media) in the last month was linked to gambling in the last month and being classified as at-risk or problem gambling.

Citation: Noble, N., Freund, M., David, H., White, V., Leigh, L., Lambkin, D., Scully, M., & Sanson-Fisher, R. (2022). Exposure to gambling promotions and gambling behaviours in Australian secondary school students. Addictive Behaviors Reports, 16, 100439. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.abrep.2022.100439

Article DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.abrep.2022.100439

Keywords: adolescents ; advertising ; gambling ; gambling advertisements ; gambling behaviours ; gambling promotions ; marketing ; online gambling ; youth

Topics: Children and Youth ; Gambling Exposure ; Information for Operators ; Online Gambling ; Priority Populations

Conceptual Framework Factors: Exposure - Gambling Setting ; Types - Structural Characteristics ; Exposure - Marketing and Messaging ; Exposure - Accessibility ; Social - Social Demographics ; Psychological - Lifespan Development ; Gambling Exposure ; Social Factors

Study Design: Secondary Data Analysis

Geographic Coverage: Australia, Queensland ; Australia, Victoria

Study Population: Adolescents in secondary school years 7 -12 (n = 6377). A total of 93 schools from Victoria and Queensland participated in the ASSAD survey in 2017. Over half of the sample were female (56%). The largest age group was those aged 16 years (23%). Most were from major cities (65%). Just over half of the students (54%) were classified as being disadvantaged based on the Australian Government’s Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA).

Sampling Procedure: A random sample of schools, based on education sector (e.g., Government, Catholic, and Independent schools), was developed for each of the two participating Australian states. Within each participating school, classes of students in Years 7 to 12 were randomly selected to complete the 2017 Australian Secondary Students’ Alcohol and Drug (ASSAD) survey. Over 7,000 students took part in the survey. Students with missing responses to the gambling questions were removed from the dataset.

Study Funding:

This study was supported by the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation and infrastructure funding from the Hunter Medical Research Institute.