The convenience of mobile sports betting has revolutionized the gambling industry making it available to millions with the click of a button. The accessibility of sports betting platforms invites individuals of almost all ages into the world of online gambling. The promise of excitement and potential gains is enticing and that is why the lines can get blurred between entertainment and compulsive behavior.
Mobile sports betting refers to the ability to bet on sporting events through digital sites accessible through smartphones and other mobile devices. Historically, sports betting required individuals to visit physical casinos or contact bookmakers to place their bets. Mobile sports betting has revolutionized the industry by allowing people to place bets conveniently from anywhere with an internet connection. This form of betting has grown significantly in recent years due to advances in technology and changes in gambling regulations in many jurisdictions. This level of convenience combined with aggressive advertising has significantly expanded the reach of sports betting, attracting a large and diverse amount of users.
The explosive growth of mobile sports betting platforms and the aggressive nature of their
advertising raises significant concerns about the potential threat they pose to the next generation. As young people increasingly engage with these platforms and are saturated by advertising that promotes gambling activities, there is a need to understand the risks involved and the potential impact. Advertising is known to be a powerful tool for influencing attitudes towards products and services. The sports betting advertisements often glamorize the excitement and potential rewards of gambling, presenting it as a desirable and socially acceptable activity.
This blog post aims to shed light on the complex issues surrounding mobile sports betting and its advertising and assess their impact on the next generation, especially in regards to the mental health and well-being of young individuals. By addressing these issues, we can generate awareness for the need for policy regulations or advertising guidelines with on-line sports betting.
The rise of on-line sports betting and its aggressive advertising also poses a significant threat to the well-being and development of the next generation, as evidenced by its increasing accessibility, targeted marketing strategies, and potential harmful consequences on youth attitudes, behaviors, and lifestyle. Gambling on a phone can combine the compulsive behavior created by social media—the constant pursuit of dopamine hits—with the addictive qualities of gambling.
In a 2023 letter to Congress, NCAA President Charlie Baker reported that the NCAA had found 175 infractions of its sports-betting policy since 2018, with 17 ongoing investigations.
From a sport’s business perspective, leagues love it. A sports fan is going to consume more sports if they are gambling. And they are going to care about more teams and players than if they were not gambling, and it also eradicates the barriers of time and space that once were obstacles for gamblers.
Although sports betting and its advertising has the potential to generate substantial revenue, it creates unrealistic expectations among that leads some users to believe that gambling is an easy way to make money without fully understanding the consequences. There is a need to prioritize education and awareness campaigns to teach users, especially younger ones, about the dangers of gambling on-line. It is critical to be able to address these threats and preserve the integrity of all sports. This subject should be brought to the attention of schools, athletes, parents, legislators, and anyone that can help advocate to promote guidelines. The hope is to develop a strategy for prevention or intervention through better regulatory standards.
I agree with all of your points here. I know -- first hand from many of my friends who are addicted -- how much a problem online sports betting is and has become. As you've said, the marketing and advertising for sports betting is also very coercive and raises many ethical concerns which are not being talked about enough. Australia is a great (and sad) case study as it pertains to online sports gambling and the damage it can do to a society.
Secondarily, you reference peoples addictive personalities and short attention spans as a contributing issue -- to which I entirely agree. In my psychology GE earlier this year I ran a study on the correlation between people 18-24…