Child and parent recall of gambling sponsorship in Australian sport
Summary
About the study
This study, led by Deakin University's Samantha Thomas, explored child and parent recall of sports betting and gambling brand sponsorship of Australian Football League, National Rugby League and soccer teams.
The report is one component of the broader study - A public health analysis of gambling marketing activities: Themes, targets and impacts.
The researchers asked:
- What is the extent to which children and parents recall and
prefer sports betting brand names?
- Is there evidence that children and parents are able to
implicitly recall sports sponsorship relationships between gambling brands and
sporting teams?
- Are there differences in recall between children of
different ages, genders and sporting codes?
- Is there a perception that sports betting marketing aligned
with sport influences children’s attitudes towards and consumption intentions
of gambling?
Findings from this study suggest the marketing of sports betting brands in sport is increasing the recall and preference of sports betting brands for children. It shows that children are developing an awareness of gambling, and specifically of casino and sports betting marketing, within sport.
Implications for the foundation
The results suggest that sports betting advertising associated with sport is having a resonance with sports spectators under the age of 18. This supports the foundation's view that gambling advertising during children's viewing hours, as occurs during live sports teleplays, should be stopped. It also supports the foundation's work in phasing out sports betting sponsors among Victoria AFL teams.
The foundation’s Grants for Gambling Research program funded this studyCitation
Thomas, SL, Pitt, H, Bestman, A, Randle, M, Daube, M, Pettigrew, S 2016, Child and parent recall of gambling sponsorship in Australian sport, Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation, Melbourne.