The effect of opting out of direct marketing on betting frequency, spending, and gambling harm

View Open Access Article View Snapshot Back to Search Results

snapshot summaries

Author(s): Rockloff, Matthew J. ; Browne, Matthew ; Hing, Nerilee ; Russell, Alex M. T. ; Rawat, Vijay ; Newall, Philip W. S.

Journal: Addiction

Year Published: 2026

Date Added: June 24, 2026

This study tested whether opting out of direct marketing reduces betting frequency, spending, and short-term gambling harms. The researchers conducted a field experiment with an ecological momentary assessment (EMA). Participants were adults who had an active online wagering account that they used regularly in the last year. Of the 400 participants randomized, 227 were included in the analysis: 96 in the opt-out group and 131 in the control group. The treatment group opted out of direct marketing for the duration of the study, while the control group was not asked to do so. Participants completed seven EMA surveys every 48 hours over a 14-day period. Overall, participants in the treatment group placed 23% fewer bets, spent 39% less money, and reported 67% fewer short-term gambling harms compared to those in the control group.

Citation: Rockloff, M., Browne, M., Hing, N., Russell, A. M. T., Rawat, V., & Newall, P. (2026). Direct gambling marketing, direct harm: A randomised experiment. Addiction. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.70369

Article DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/add.70369

Keywords: advertising ; gambling harm ; harm reduction ; marketing ; sports betting

Topics: Gambling Exposure ; Gambling Resources ; Information for Operators ; Information for Treatment Providers ; Prevention ; Sports Betting

Conceptual Framework Factors: Gambling Types ; Exposure - Marketing and Messaging ; Gambling Exposure

Response Rate: 36.91% (227 out of 615 participants who were invited)

Geographic Coverage: Australia

Study Population: Adults in Australia who regularly bet on sports and races at least once every 2 weeks in the last 12 months and who indicated a willingness to opt out of direct marketing (n=227)

Sampling Procedure: Participants in this study were recruited from all Australian states and territories through Qualtrics, a panel aggregator that uses market research panels. They were drawn from a subset of participants who had previously completed a baseline survey. A total of 615 participants were invited in the experiment, and 405 agreed to participate. The study included 227 participants who complied with the study instructions and completed at least one EMA survey.

Study Funding:

This study is a Gambling Research Australia project funded by the Commonwealth, State, and Territory Governments.