QUALITATIVE RESEARCH ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Emily G. Deans, Samantha L. Thomas, Jeffrey Derevensky, Mike Daube (2017). The

influence of marketing on the sports betting attitudes and consumption behaviors of

young men: implications for harm reduction and prevention strategies. Harm Reduction

Journal 14:5 https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/s12954-017-0131-8.pdf

The study delved into the influence of marketing on young men’s perceptions and

behaviors related to sports betting. The authors had 4 research questions; How do

marketing mechanisms seek to create a cultural alignment between betting and sports?

Is there evidence that marketing strategies may be influencing new betting "identities”

associated with sports? Do specific forms of promotions encourage young men to

gamble more frequently and on events that they would not otherwise bet on? Are there

specific strategies that may have the potential to reduce or prevent the risks or harms

posed by the marketing for these products? The researchers conducted semi-structured

interviews with 50 Australian men of ages 20 to 37 from upper-middle class households

who gambled on the NRL and the AFL. These interviews lasted from 30 minutes to an

hour, were audio-taped, and included discussion related to sports betting marketing and

its implications. Results showed that the normalization of sports betting was achieved

through constantly marketing it as being synonymous to watching sports, which was

executed with tactics such as announcers mentioning betting odds throughout matches

and advertisements specifically targeting young men passionate about sports. Sports

clubs, media companies, and individual athletes’ sponsorships for the betting industry

also removed its image of being taboo and instead turned it into an activity that is
“normal” to partake in when watching sports. Finally, many advertisements offered

incentives that made participants perceive betting as a low-risk activity. Moreover, by

aligning betting with other culturally relevant identities and offering a variety of

incentives, sports betting marketing influenced both individuals’ perceptions on the risks

of gambling, and their level of participation in it. The first three questions were answered

through the interviews. As for the last research question, the authors came up with two

strategies to apply this study and mitigate the risks of sports betting marketing, which

are for regulators to prohibit the marketing of inducements related to sports betting, and

to develop publicly funded education programs to emphasize the harms of betting

products. As for limitations, their participants only described experiences betting on the

NRL or AFL, therefore their perspectives may differ from gamblers who bet on other

activities. Second, the study did not diversify participants with ethnicity, and mainly

included young relatively affluent men who were educated. Finally, examining sports

betting through a marketing lens will be extremely beneficial for my inquiries since my

research question also explores the implications of marketing, especially through a

social media perspective. Therefore, I will be able to compare and contrast the

perspective on sports betting marketing of an 18 year old in Canada and of 20-37 year

olds in Australia who may be less reliant on social media.

Christian Nyemcsok, Hannah Pitt, Peter Kremer, Samantha L. Thomas (2022). Young

men’s perceptions about the risks associated with sports betting: a critical qualitative

inquiry. BMC Public Health 22:867

https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/s12889-022-13164-2.pdf
The study explored young Australian men’s perceptions about the riskiness of

partaking in sports betting. The author’s 3 research questions were; What factors

influence how young men conceptualize and reflect upon the risks associated with

sports betting? Do perceptions of knowledge, skill, and control contribute to young

men’s motivations to gamble? Do the findings highlight specific areas for intervention

associated with young men’s sports betting and risk conceptualisations? In order to

gather data, the researchers conducted in-depth interviews with sixteen Australian men

of ages 18 to 24 who engaged in sports betting on, at least, a monthly basis. Questions

were asked to participants about gambling awareness, their early sports betting

experiences, factors that currently influence their gambling behaviors, and ultimately,

why they engage in it. When discussing how they got into gambling, many participants

mentioned partaking in competitive non-gambling activities with friends and family,

notably fantasy sports leagues. By partaking in this, many participants gained more

knowledge about certain sports and learnt how to manage risk, which in turn led to them

feeling like their experience with “risk” and their now increased knowledge of sports

players would give them an edge and therefore reduce the risks of gambling on certain

players. In addition, once participants turned 18, the peer rivalry that was once found in

their fantasy leagues (which is legal for minors since it does not include gambling)

simply shifted over to competing against each other through actual sports betting.

Unsurprisingly, many participants described an increase in betting engagement and a

decrease of risk management when betting against friends due to a sense of rivalry and

excitement. Similar to the last study, many participants also discussed the normalization

of gambling through the unmissable advertisements and its rampancy in male friend
groups, whether in informal situations or, as one participant described, during lunch

breaks at work. The participants’ openness helped the researchers answer their

questions and also figure out how to apply the study to real life. The authors stated that

once again, a reform in the gambling industry and an increase in public campaigns

could significantly reduce the harms of sports betting. Limitations include the small

demographic group (young men in trades), the time of the study (COVID-19) and

possible social desirability bias. This study will be of immense help to my research

project, since my overarching curiosity about sports betting lies in the “why”. By learning

more about the reason why these men partake in it, I will be more informed on factors

often leading to these behaviors and will be able to compare and contrast them to my

interviewee’s answers.