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Sports betting marketing during sporting events: a stadium and broadcast census of Australian Football League matches

Sports betting marketing during sporting events: a stadium and broadcast census of Australian... G ambling is an increasingly important public health issue. No longer confined to lotteries, casinos, local pubs and racecourses, the rapid diversification of wagering products through mobile and internet technologies have opened up a Pandora's Box of gambling possibilities. International studies show that between a half and three‐quarters of adults participate in some form of gambling each year, with rates of problem gambling ranging from 0.3–5.3%. Researchers also suggest that up to 80% of adolescents will have engaged in gambling by the time they are 18, with up to 8% categorised as problem gamblers, and up to 15% at risk of developing problem gambling behaviours. Researchers have also clearly shown that patterns of risky and problem gambling have significant broader impacts on the wellbeing of families and communities. To date, gambling research has overwhelmingly focused on individual gambling pathology and treatment models, which may ignore the broader drivers of risky gambling behaviours. This includes the complex interplay between socio‐cultural values and norms; environmental factors, including where gambling is situated and how accessible it is; and industry marketing strategies, including what is ‘on offer’, how it is linked to socio‐cultural values, and how these strategies target specific groups of individuals. Current gambling prevention models focus on individuals taking ‘personal responsibility’ for their gambling behaviours. This includes individuals knowing their limits, and recognising and accessing help services if they feel they have a ‘problem’. However, as has been recognised in other public health issues, an emphasis on ‘personal responsibility’ may potentially hamper the introduction of social responsibility initiatives that take into account the broader welfare of the community. It may also inherently excuse industry from taking responsibility for the potential short‐and longer‐term ‘risks’ associated with their products. With this in mind – and drawing upon other key public health issues such as tobacco, alcohol, and obesity – some researchers have sought to understand how specific types of gambling marketing strategies may have an impact upon the gambling attitudes and behaviours of particular groups. Sports betting is a rapidly growing segment of the gambling market. Alongside this has been an increase in the amount of marketing for sports betting products. This increase has been largely attributed to a 2008 High Court ruling in a case between Betfair Pty Ltd and the state of Western Australia which: “invalidated Western Australian laws which had been introduced to prohibit people in Western Australia from using a licensed betting exchange and to prohibit a licensed betting exchange offering markets on Western Australian races”. Some argue that the increased popularity of sports betting is due to the combination of accessible online wagering sites, coupled with “aggressive advertising on television” promoting engagement in sports betting. Sports betting marketing strategies are much broader than advertisements on television and online websites. Marketing strategies during sporting events are formed through a range of commercial agreements between the wagering industry and sporting codes, stadiums, scoreboard operators, broadcasters and individual clubs. Some also argue that sport is becoming increasingly dependent on gambling sponsorship as a source of revenue. For example, in 2010 ‘shirt sponsorship’ deals (in which gambling logos appeared on team uniforms) had an annual value of €16.9 million for seven teams in the English Premier League. A New Zealand study found that gambling was the most common product sponsor of sports at national, community and junior levels – more so than alcohol and fast food sponsorship. For the wagering industry, marketing relationships with sporting teams and events are valuable for a number of different reasons. Sport sponsorship allows wagering providers to associate their products with a popular community‐based activity, and also enables them to improve perceptions of ‘corporate citizenship’– that is, that they are doing something good for the community in providing valuable financial support to sporting events. Research also shows that when the public believe that sporting events rely on specific forms of sponsorship for survival, then they become more accepting of the sponsor's products. Sports‐based sponsorship also allows companies to align themselves with a ‘healthy’ product. In the 1980s and 1990s, this strategy was used by the tobacco industry as a way to reduce perceptions of the health risks associated with cigarettes, and was an effective way of softening children to tobacco products. For example, an Australian survey of children (aged 12 to 14) found that children reported that their most popular tobacco brand was the brand that sponsored their State's major football competition. Finally, researchers argue that the positive feelings that spectators get during a sporting match may be transferred onto, in this case, the wagering product. Researchers suggest that gambling has become embedded within some sporting events and codes, referring to this as the ‘gamblification’ of sport. From a public health perspective, the relationships between gambling marketing activities and sport are concerning because of the potentially powerful ways in which they may promote or soften some gambling products to certain individuals – those who love sport, young men and young people. Particular concerns have been raised about the way in which fan support and team loyalty are used to market sports betting products; the use of sporting role models to endorse these products; the long‐term impacts of wagering marketing in environments which are promoted as being “safe, secure, and family friendly”; and whether there is an association between gambling advertising and risky or problematic gambling behaviours. For example, Australian gambling help services reported a 70% increase in individuals presenting with sports betting problems between 2008/09 and 2010/11, while another study found that Victorian men felt ‘bombarded’ by the marketing strategies used to promote sports betting. Some aspects of sports betting marketing – such as live odds updates during matches – have attracted criticism from government, community groups and sporting codes. In 2010, the Australian Federal Minister for Communication, Steven Conroy, announced that if sporting codes did not self regulate the “insidious” amount of in‐match gambling advertising which was “targeting the vulnerable and the young” then he would legislate to ban all live odds updates from being “pushed into people's faces”. More recently, the Australian Federal Government has sought to minimise the harm associated with sports betting marketing by stating that it will introduce legislation by June 2012 to ban the promotion of live betting odds during sports coverage, as well as placing stricter limits on betting inducements. While these are important steps forward, they do not counter the multiple ways in which the wagering industry can market, target and connect sports betting products to different groups within the community. While there have been increasing calls for governments to consider policies which affect the “availability, density and distribution” of gambling products to minimise gambling harm, there have been very few studies to date which have considered how these calls may apply to the marketing of sports betting during sporting matches. Methods Approach Using Australian Football League (AFL) matches as a case study, we investigated the frequency, length and content of sports betting marketing during two specific settings: 1 At stadiums during live matches; and 2 During the televised broadcasts of matches. While it is important to note that the issue of sports betting marketing is now pertinent to a broad range of sporting matches in Australia, we studied AFL matches for the following reasons: 1) The AFL has the highest average sporting match attendance in Australia; 2) The AFL promotes a family‐friendly environment at matches; and 3) The AFL and many AFL clubs have sponsorship alignments with wagering providers. In 2010, the AFL had the third highest average sporting match attendance in the world (behind America's National Football League and German Bundesliga Soccer), with an average attendance of 36,908 per premiership game, and an average weekly television viewing audience of 4.16 million. The AFL has made a conscious effort to develop premiership matches as family‐friendly sporting events. Not only do many children and families attend AFL sporting matches, but AFL football is one of the top three television programs watched by children under 14 years old. While no official figures about gambling sponsorship deals are available, news reports suggest that leading wagering providers pay about $2 million annually to align themselves with the AFL. The majority of AFL teams also have stand‐alone sponsorship deals with wagering providers which include: dedicated team‐branded betting websites; shirt sponsorship; and team sponsorship deals. Development of data collection proforma We developed two standardised proforma – one for the stadium census and one for the broadcast census. The stadium proforma was developed after 10 hours of fieldwork across four games in the first four weeks of the AFL 2011 premiership season at the two main Victorian stadiums: the Etihad Stadium and the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). As some areas of these stadiums were restricted to private members we focused on areas that were accessible to members of the general public. The broadcast proforma was developed after watching four pre‐recorded AFL games during the first four weeks of the season. During fieldwork we noted: a) the different types of marketing; b) how these were presented at different time points in the match; and c) where these were displayed. For the stadium census, we grouped marketing into five categories: 1 Fixed advertising: Advertising on static billboards and banners within the stadium, within the stadium concourse and outside the venue. 2 Dynamic advertising: Advertising on revolving or electronic banners within the stadium. 3 Scoreboard advertising: Advertising that appeared on electronic scoreboards at each stadium, including: a) logos; b) paid commercials; and c) goal replay sponsorship. 4 Integrated advertising: Verbal sponsored updates of match odds. 5 Team sponsorship: Including logos on players’ uniforms, run‐through and team banners, fan uniforms and merchandise within stores. For the broadcast census we grouped marketing into five similar categories: 1 Fixed advertising: Sports betting advertising on static banners within the stadium. 2 Dynamic advertising: Sports betting advertising on revolving or electronic banners within the stadium. 3 Commercial break advertising: Sports betting advertisements that appeared during commercial breaks. 4 Integrated advertising: Live odds announcements, pop‐ups and pull‐through banners; and broadcast sponsorship announcements. 5 Team sponsorship: Logos on players’ uniforms, logos within locker rooms, and team banners. Within broadcasts, marketing was mostly visible in short, sharp bursts. As such, we defined an episode as any sports betting marketing that was clearly visible for at least two seconds. Both proforma contained space to record the frequency and length of each episode, and a brief description of the content and placement of each specific marketing strategy. It also provided space to record counter messages – such as responsible or problem gambling taglines, or Gambler's Help commercials. We piloted data collection four weeks prior to the formal census. Data Collection Data was collected during Round 12 of the AFL season (10–13 June 2011). We chose this as it was the middle round of the AFL season. We collected data from all four games played at the Etihad (n=2) and MCG stadiums (n=2), and eight recorded televised matches broadcast on free‐to‐air (n=4) and pay television (n=4). We arrived at the stadium 90 minutes before the start of the match. We documented marketing for sports betting around the outside of the stadium, and then entered the stadium to document all visible sports betting marketing on each level. One hour prior to the start of the game, we took our seats in different parts of the stadium to document the ‘in‐match’ marketing. This was to ensure that we had clear visibility of different types of marketing across the ground. The crowd attendance for each match, as displayed on the scoreboards, was also recorded. Data analysis We used a combination of qualitative and quantitative data analyses. Quantitative data was entered into SPSS (Version 19). Basic descriptive statistics were used to analyse the frequency and length of different types of marketing, including means, medians and standard deviations where appropriate. We used thematic analysis to group and then describe the different types of marketing strategies used, including similarities and differences in language, imagery and the framing of advertisements. Each game was analysed by two members of the research team, and the recorded data was compared for consistency. Results Stadium census Nine wagering brands were marketed across the two stadiums: Centrebet; TABSportsbet; TAB.com.au ; TAB; DeesBet; Sportsbet.com.au ; Sportingbet.com.au ; Bet24/7; and Betfair. The number of ‘in‐match’ episodes and duration of marketing is presented in Table 1 . There were an average of 58.5 episodes (median 49.5, sd 27.8) and 341.1 minutes (median 324.1 minutes and sd 44.5) of marketing per match. This ranged from 99 episodes and 406.3 minutes at the Carlton versus Brisbane match, to 36 episodes and 310.1 minutes at the Geelong versus Hawthorn match (the only game in which neither team were directly sponsored by a wagering provider). The Etihad Stadium had a greater average amount of sports betting advertising (73 episodes, 361 minutes) as compared to the MCG (44 episodes and 321.3 minutes). The vast majority of marketing episodes occurred on either scoreboards (128 episodes, 55%) or on rotating dynamic banners (85 episodes, 36%). The frequency and duration of shirt logos was not recorded during the live match due to a lack of clear visibility of this form of marketing. 1 Frequency and duration of ‘in match’ sports betting marketing at stadiums. Broadcast Census Seven wagering brands were marketed during broadcasts: Centrebet; Tabsportsbet; Bet24/7; Sportingbet; Sportsbet.com.au ; Deesbet; and Crowsbet. The number of episodes and duration of marketing is presented in Table 2 . There were an average of 50.5 episodes (median 53.5, sd 45.2) and 4.8 minutes (median 5.0 minutes, sd 4.0) of marketing per match. Free‐to‐air television had a greater average amount of sports betting marketing (73 episodes, 6.9 minutes) as compared to Pay TV broadcasts (28 episodes, 2.6 minutes). The amount of advertising varied between broadcasts. For example, there were 123 episodes and 8.9 minutes during the Melbourne versus Collingwood broadcast, but only two episodes and 0.2 minutes during the Fremantle versus Essendon broadcast. The vast majority of visible marketing across the games was dynamic advertising with a total of 352 episodes (87%) and 28.7 minutes (75%). There were also differences according to which State the game was played in. For example, Victorian games had the most visible marketing (average of 86 episodes and 7.5 minutes across the four games); followed by South Australia (48 episodes, 5.7 minutes); New South Wales (7 episodes, 1.8 minutes); Queensland (3 episodes, 0.3 minutes); and Western Australia (2 episodes, 0.2 minutes). We have documented the frequency of shirt sponsorship logos later in this paper as, due to the rapid pace of games and the short sharp bursts of logo visibility, we were not able to accurately document the total length of logo visibility during the matches. 2 Frequency and duration of sports betting marketing during Free to Air and Pay‐TV match broadcasts. Content analysis The main themes that emerged from the analysis of sports betting marketing content were related to the way in which marketing strategies: a) embedded themselves within the game; b) aligned themselves with fans overall experience of the game; and c) encouraged them to bet during the game. These three themes were present within a range of advertising platforms. Wagering venues There were a number of wagering venues both within and directly outside the stadiums. These included TAB mobile wagering vans and TAB wagering venues inside the stadiums. Billboards and signage which encouraged individuals to bet during the game also linked individuals to betting venues at various points throughout the stadium. Billboards and signage Signs and billboards promoting sports betting were strategically positioned throughout the stadiums, including at gate entries, and directly behind the goal posts, and encouraged individuals to ‘bet live’ during the game. For example, at some of the main entry gates into the Etihad Stadium, billboards for Tabsportsbet featured a young man cheering with capitalised wording ‘BET LIVE DURING THE GAME’ with information for mobile betting websites. The billboard also included a logo for the TAB, which created a link with TAB‐owned wagering venues within the stadium. A small ‘problem gambling statement’ was present on the billboard. Dynamic on‐field signs were placed directly behind the goals, and also provided information about how individuals could bet live during the game. For example, Tabsportsbet.com.au advertising featured the slogan “You're On!” with a clearly displayed phone number. Advertising for Deesbet (the wagering product associated with the Melbourne Demons) contained the slogan “Bet live, bet now” with the website address and phone number clearly visible. In the Adelaide versus West Coast match, advertising for CrowsBet (the wagering product aligned with the Adelaide Crows) moved across electronic signage around the field. Scoreboard advertising At the stadiums, sports betting advertising occurred after ‘goal scored’ replays on big screens for three of the four home teams. These advertisements either: a) encouraged individuals to become more involved in the game through wagering; or b) embedded the wagering product with imagery associated with the home team or AFL football. For example, after replays of goals scored by St Kilda, a Centrebet logo followed the replay accompanied by a sound similar to a heartbeat and the message ‘Don't just watch it’. After a Carlton goal replay the word “GOAL!” burst out of the Carlton banner, exploding into fireworks and then morphing into the Sportingbet.com.au logo. Finally, replays of goals scored by the Melbourne Demons were followed by the words “Great Goal!” and Deesbet.com.au on an AFL football. Advertising was also embedded within match statistic reports about the team and individual players. These were displayed on the scoreboards throughout the game, and alongside video footage of the game. For example, wagering company logos were often visible alongside or underneath these team statistics. The most common example of this was during the Carlton versus Brisbane Lions game. When Carlton match statistics were displayed on the scoreboards, a Sportingbet logo (official sponsor of the Carlton team) was clearly visible alongside or underneath the statistics. Television and big screen commercials Commercial advertisements both at stadiums and during broadcasts also linked wagering with the AFL and AFL teams. The 30‐second advertisements used by Centrebet prior to the start of the St Kilda versus Western Bulldogs match used imagery and audio synonymous with both St Kilda and online sports betting. This included a laptop and mobile phone with the Centrebet website and a membership card. Betting imagery was interspersed with imagery of St Kilda matches, including: cheering fans within a football stadium; a fan having his face painted in team colours; and the team locker room. The advertising also used images of the sponsorship partnership between Centrebet and St Kilda, including a St Kilda footballer hitting the Centrebet signage before walking out to play; St Kilda players running through a banner featuring the Centrebet logo; and clearly visible Centrebet logos on St Kilda uniforms. At the end of the advertisement the words ‘proud major partner of the St Kilda Football Club’ were displayed. Other commercial advertisements used more instructive styles of product presentation, for example promising the best betting experience, the biggest wins, or the best odds. The stadium commercial for Sportingbet.com.au featured the company CEO Michael O'Sullivan describing how to place a bet, and using the slogan “the betting experience built by punters for punters”. O'Sullivan explained in the advertisement that with Sportingbet you can “bet fast on your mobile, anywhere, anytime” and that there is “no better bet than a SportingBet”. Other slogans included “Better odds and bigger wins” (for Betfair) and “Triple your profit… the best odds of any TAB” (for Bet 24/7). Finally, an ‘odds market update’ approach was used during Tabsportsbet commercial during match broadcasts. A Tabsportsbet representative encouraged individuals to consider the latest odds: “There is still plenty of time to get a bet on” and “if you feel like having a punt here are the latest odds … you can get on at your local TAB or around the nation at TAB.com.au ”. While all these commercials contained a slogan about problem gambling, visibility varied between stadiums and broadcasts. At stadiums, problem gambling statements were impossible to read with any detail. During broadcasts, Gambler's Help statements were clearer on advertisements, although there was still variability in the visibility of the message during different commercial advertisements. There was one commercial for Gambler's Help during the census. This advertisement played during a television broadcast, and portrayed a young boy talking about his father's experience with problem gambling and recovery after seeking help. The advertisement encouraged individuals to “take the problem out of gambling” by calling a free call number for “expert help”. Shirt and team sponsorship There were an additional number of platforms related to the Centrebet sponsorship of the St Kilda Football Club. At stadiums, this included Centrebet logos on players’ pre‐game uniforms, match uniforms, team banner, and spectators’ football jumpers. Centrebet shirt sponsorship logos on team jumpers were clearly visible in merchandise stores and vans. During the broadcast of the St Kilda versus Western Bulldogs match, advertising signage for Centrebet was visible in pre‐match locker shots, and a Centrebet logo was clearly visible on players’ uniforms 438 times during match. Integrated advertising Integrated advertising was used in slightly different ways at stadiums and during broadcasts. At stadiums, live wagering odds announcements (sponsored by Betfair) were spoken by the ground announcer prior to the start of the match and during game breaks. Odds were sometimes displayed on the scoreboards during the announcements. Odds announcements contained a clearly audible responsible gambling statement such as: “and please remember to gamble responsibly” or “gamble responsibly”. During broadcasts, advertising was integrated into the match in a number of different ways. First, live wagering odds were announced by the broadcast team – similar to those seen at stadiums. Second, sponsorship announcements were broadcast (on all Pay TV games and one free‐to‐air game) in which commentators acknowledged Tabsportsbet as the official broadcast sponsor followed by the slogan “You're On!” at the start and end of the broadcasts. Finally, live odds were updated through ‘pull‐through banners’ or ‘pop‐ups’. Electronic banners moved across the bottom of the screen during the match and featured the logo of either Sportingbet or TABSportsbet. Only some integrated advertising during broadcasts featured a problem gambling or responsible gambling message, for example: “Saints to win by 60 points –$6.50. Odds subject to change. Gamble responsibly”. Discussion and Implications Before discussing the results of this study it is important to highlight two main limitations. First, while the study provides an important ‘snapshot’ of sports betting marketing during a specific time period, it does not capture how marketing strategies may vary at different time points during the season. This is particularly important in considering whether there are times within the season when there may be more or less sports betting marketing during matches (for example, at the start of the season, or during finals). Second, due to a lack of resources we were not able to collect data from stadiums outside Victoria. The amount of visible sports betting marketing during the broadcast census suggests that there may be clear differences in the amount of sports betting marketing between stadiums and States. Further research will be important in considering these differences and why they occur. This study raises three broad points for discussion about how sports betting is marketed during sporting matches. First, a diverse range of marketing platforms were used to market sports betting products and services, which reflect the coming together of commercial relationships between a variety of different agencies. The use of these multiple platforms (such as static and dynamic signage, scoreboard advertising, logos, shirt sponsorship, animated sponsored goal replays), particularly at stadiums, meant that there was rarely a time during the match when audiences were not exposed to some form of marketing for sports betting. This finding raises an important point about the impact of saturation marketing strategies, in which audiences (in this case, individuals who attend sporting matches or watch sports on television) are unable to avoid some types of marketing. As observed in other public health issues such as tobacco, marketing strategies based on saturation techniques are particularly problematic because of the ways in which individuals can never avoid seeing or receiving messages. Furthermore, marketing for sports betting, particularly on dynamic signage, was inherently transferred to different spaces (such as family homes) through television broadcasts. As shown in other areas such as tobacco, these types of marketing may be particularly influential in softening children to products. Second, marketing strategies were embedded into the sporting match. Advertising, in particular, used context and symbolism to associate sports betting with both the technical and emotive aspects of the game. In this study we observed how integrated advertising strategies were used to fill spaces that would traditionally have been free of advertising, for example during match play. This additional layer of advertising is not commonly discussed in the academic literature and highlights: a) the new techniques that the wagering industry uses to break through advertising clutter, and set themselves apart from other products; and b) the way in which this type of marketing then becomes embedded within the game itself. By embedding advertising within the game, the strategy is to ensure that people's involvement with, and “positive feelings” towards, the game will then transfer to engaging in sports betting. Directly related to this are impulse marketing strategies which are used to encourage and push ‘real time’ wagering during matches; the ways in which technology allows individuals to instantly respond to messages to engage in sports betting; and how this may, in turn, impact upon gambling behaviours. Further research should explore the role of impulse marketing strategies in encouraging impulsive (or spontaneous) wagering during sporting matches. Finally, it is important to note that individuals receive primarily positive messages about sports betting during sporting matches. This is particularly important in thinking about the long‐term impact of marketing strategies on certain groups of individuals (such as young male sports fans), and in particular on children and adolescents. There was a clear imbalance between marketing which promoted sports betting, and messages which sought to minimise gambling harm or risk. It is important to note that proposed Australian legislation to remove some types of marketing (such as live odds bans) will also unintentionally remove the only harm minimisation messages that are clearly visible or audible within the matches. Regulation and/or harm minimisation messaging – both from government and sporting codes – may be effective in responding to the quantity and type of marketing which occurs during sporting matches. In considering how to implement effective counter frames it will be important to consider how to: a) deliver appropriate harm minimisation and help seeking messages; b) ensure that these are clearly visible and audible to audiences; c) place these messages at appropriate time points and places during the match; and d) apply these messages to all advertising and sponsorship content. What is less clear from this study is how different types of wagering marketing strategies may affect individuals in different ways. While most research and policy attention has been focused toward traditional forms of advertising, this ignores the impact of marketing strategies which are more subtle, pervasive and contextual. Future research may develop on the findings of this study by seeking to understand the ways in which these marketing strategies for sports betting are interpreted and applied by different groups of individuals and, importantly, the interplay between marketing strategies and socio‐contextual factors in influencing gambling behaviours. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health Wiley

Sports betting marketing during sporting events: a stadium and broadcast census of Australian Football League matches

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References (55)

Publisher
Wiley
Copyright
© 2012 The Authors. ANZJPH © 2012 Public Health Association of Australia
ISSN
1326-0200
eISSN
1753-6405
DOI
10.1111/j.1753-6405.2012.00856.x
pmid
22487349
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

G ambling is an increasingly important public health issue. No longer confined to lotteries, casinos, local pubs and racecourses, the rapid diversification of wagering products through mobile and internet technologies have opened up a Pandora's Box of gambling possibilities. International studies show that between a half and three‐quarters of adults participate in some form of gambling each year, with rates of problem gambling ranging from 0.3–5.3%. Researchers also suggest that up to 80% of adolescents will have engaged in gambling by the time they are 18, with up to 8% categorised as problem gamblers, and up to 15% at risk of developing problem gambling behaviours. Researchers have also clearly shown that patterns of risky and problem gambling have significant broader impacts on the wellbeing of families and communities. To date, gambling research has overwhelmingly focused on individual gambling pathology and treatment models, which may ignore the broader drivers of risky gambling behaviours. This includes the complex interplay between socio‐cultural values and norms; environmental factors, including where gambling is situated and how accessible it is; and industry marketing strategies, including what is ‘on offer’, how it is linked to socio‐cultural values, and how these strategies target specific groups of individuals. Current gambling prevention models focus on individuals taking ‘personal responsibility’ for their gambling behaviours. This includes individuals knowing their limits, and recognising and accessing help services if they feel they have a ‘problem’. However, as has been recognised in other public health issues, an emphasis on ‘personal responsibility’ may potentially hamper the introduction of social responsibility initiatives that take into account the broader welfare of the community. It may also inherently excuse industry from taking responsibility for the potential short‐and longer‐term ‘risks’ associated with their products. With this in mind – and drawing upon other key public health issues such as tobacco, alcohol, and obesity – some researchers have sought to understand how specific types of gambling marketing strategies may have an impact upon the gambling attitudes and behaviours of particular groups. Sports betting is a rapidly growing segment of the gambling market. Alongside this has been an increase in the amount of marketing for sports betting products. This increase has been largely attributed to a 2008 High Court ruling in a case between Betfair Pty Ltd and the state of Western Australia which: “invalidated Western Australian laws which had been introduced to prohibit people in Western Australia from using a licensed betting exchange and to prohibit a licensed betting exchange offering markets on Western Australian races”. Some argue that the increased popularity of sports betting is due to the combination of accessible online wagering sites, coupled with “aggressive advertising on television” promoting engagement in sports betting. Sports betting marketing strategies are much broader than advertisements on television and online websites. Marketing strategies during sporting events are formed through a range of commercial agreements between the wagering industry and sporting codes, stadiums, scoreboard operators, broadcasters and individual clubs. Some also argue that sport is becoming increasingly dependent on gambling sponsorship as a source of revenue. For example, in 2010 ‘shirt sponsorship’ deals (in which gambling logos appeared on team uniforms) had an annual value of €16.9 million for seven teams in the English Premier League. A New Zealand study found that gambling was the most common product sponsor of sports at national, community and junior levels – more so than alcohol and fast food sponsorship. For the wagering industry, marketing relationships with sporting teams and events are valuable for a number of different reasons. Sport sponsorship allows wagering providers to associate their products with a popular community‐based activity, and also enables them to improve perceptions of ‘corporate citizenship’– that is, that they are doing something good for the community in providing valuable financial support to sporting events. Research also shows that when the public believe that sporting events rely on specific forms of sponsorship for survival, then they become more accepting of the sponsor's products. Sports‐based sponsorship also allows companies to align themselves with a ‘healthy’ product. In the 1980s and 1990s, this strategy was used by the tobacco industry as a way to reduce perceptions of the health risks associated with cigarettes, and was an effective way of softening children to tobacco products. For example, an Australian survey of children (aged 12 to 14) found that children reported that their most popular tobacco brand was the brand that sponsored their State's major football competition. Finally, researchers argue that the positive feelings that spectators get during a sporting match may be transferred onto, in this case, the wagering product. Researchers suggest that gambling has become embedded within some sporting events and codes, referring to this as the ‘gamblification’ of sport. From a public health perspective, the relationships between gambling marketing activities and sport are concerning because of the potentially powerful ways in which they may promote or soften some gambling products to certain individuals – those who love sport, young men and young people. Particular concerns have been raised about the way in which fan support and team loyalty are used to market sports betting products; the use of sporting role models to endorse these products; the long‐term impacts of wagering marketing in environments which are promoted as being “safe, secure, and family friendly”; and whether there is an association between gambling advertising and risky or problematic gambling behaviours. For example, Australian gambling help services reported a 70% increase in individuals presenting with sports betting problems between 2008/09 and 2010/11, while another study found that Victorian men felt ‘bombarded’ by the marketing strategies used to promote sports betting. Some aspects of sports betting marketing – such as live odds updates during matches – have attracted criticism from government, community groups and sporting codes. In 2010, the Australian Federal Minister for Communication, Steven Conroy, announced that if sporting codes did not self regulate the “insidious” amount of in‐match gambling advertising which was “targeting the vulnerable and the young” then he would legislate to ban all live odds updates from being “pushed into people's faces”. More recently, the Australian Federal Government has sought to minimise the harm associated with sports betting marketing by stating that it will introduce legislation by June 2012 to ban the promotion of live betting odds during sports coverage, as well as placing stricter limits on betting inducements. While these are important steps forward, they do not counter the multiple ways in which the wagering industry can market, target and connect sports betting products to different groups within the community. While there have been increasing calls for governments to consider policies which affect the “availability, density and distribution” of gambling products to minimise gambling harm, there have been very few studies to date which have considered how these calls may apply to the marketing of sports betting during sporting matches. Methods Approach Using Australian Football League (AFL) matches as a case study, we investigated the frequency, length and content of sports betting marketing during two specific settings: 1 At stadiums during live matches; and 2 During the televised broadcasts of matches. While it is important to note that the issue of sports betting marketing is now pertinent to a broad range of sporting matches in Australia, we studied AFL matches for the following reasons: 1) The AFL has the highest average sporting match attendance in Australia; 2) The AFL promotes a family‐friendly environment at matches; and 3) The AFL and many AFL clubs have sponsorship alignments with wagering providers. In 2010, the AFL had the third highest average sporting match attendance in the world (behind America's National Football League and German Bundesliga Soccer), with an average attendance of 36,908 per premiership game, and an average weekly television viewing audience of 4.16 million. The AFL has made a conscious effort to develop premiership matches as family‐friendly sporting events. Not only do many children and families attend AFL sporting matches, but AFL football is one of the top three television programs watched by children under 14 years old. While no official figures about gambling sponsorship deals are available, news reports suggest that leading wagering providers pay about $2 million annually to align themselves with the AFL. The majority of AFL teams also have stand‐alone sponsorship deals with wagering providers which include: dedicated team‐branded betting websites; shirt sponsorship; and team sponsorship deals. Development of data collection proforma We developed two standardised proforma – one for the stadium census and one for the broadcast census. The stadium proforma was developed after 10 hours of fieldwork across four games in the first four weeks of the AFL 2011 premiership season at the two main Victorian stadiums: the Etihad Stadium and the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). As some areas of these stadiums were restricted to private members we focused on areas that were accessible to members of the general public. The broadcast proforma was developed after watching four pre‐recorded AFL games during the first four weeks of the season. During fieldwork we noted: a) the different types of marketing; b) how these were presented at different time points in the match; and c) where these were displayed. For the stadium census, we grouped marketing into five categories: 1 Fixed advertising: Advertising on static billboards and banners within the stadium, within the stadium concourse and outside the venue. 2 Dynamic advertising: Advertising on revolving or electronic banners within the stadium. 3 Scoreboard advertising: Advertising that appeared on electronic scoreboards at each stadium, including: a) logos; b) paid commercials; and c) goal replay sponsorship. 4 Integrated advertising: Verbal sponsored updates of match odds. 5 Team sponsorship: Including logos on players’ uniforms, run‐through and team banners, fan uniforms and merchandise within stores. For the broadcast census we grouped marketing into five similar categories: 1 Fixed advertising: Sports betting advertising on static banners within the stadium. 2 Dynamic advertising: Sports betting advertising on revolving or electronic banners within the stadium. 3 Commercial break advertising: Sports betting advertisements that appeared during commercial breaks. 4 Integrated advertising: Live odds announcements, pop‐ups and pull‐through banners; and broadcast sponsorship announcements. 5 Team sponsorship: Logos on players’ uniforms, logos within locker rooms, and team banners. Within broadcasts, marketing was mostly visible in short, sharp bursts. As such, we defined an episode as any sports betting marketing that was clearly visible for at least two seconds. Both proforma contained space to record the frequency and length of each episode, and a brief description of the content and placement of each specific marketing strategy. It also provided space to record counter messages – such as responsible or problem gambling taglines, or Gambler's Help commercials. We piloted data collection four weeks prior to the formal census. Data Collection Data was collected during Round 12 of the AFL season (10–13 June 2011). We chose this as it was the middle round of the AFL season. We collected data from all four games played at the Etihad (n=2) and MCG stadiums (n=2), and eight recorded televised matches broadcast on free‐to‐air (n=4) and pay television (n=4). We arrived at the stadium 90 minutes before the start of the match. We documented marketing for sports betting around the outside of the stadium, and then entered the stadium to document all visible sports betting marketing on each level. One hour prior to the start of the game, we took our seats in different parts of the stadium to document the ‘in‐match’ marketing. This was to ensure that we had clear visibility of different types of marketing across the ground. The crowd attendance for each match, as displayed on the scoreboards, was also recorded. Data analysis We used a combination of qualitative and quantitative data analyses. Quantitative data was entered into SPSS (Version 19). Basic descriptive statistics were used to analyse the frequency and length of different types of marketing, including means, medians and standard deviations where appropriate. We used thematic analysis to group and then describe the different types of marketing strategies used, including similarities and differences in language, imagery and the framing of advertisements. Each game was analysed by two members of the research team, and the recorded data was compared for consistency. Results Stadium census Nine wagering brands were marketed across the two stadiums: Centrebet; TABSportsbet; TAB.com.au ; TAB; DeesBet; Sportsbet.com.au ; Sportingbet.com.au ; Bet24/7; and Betfair. The number of ‘in‐match’ episodes and duration of marketing is presented in Table 1 . There were an average of 58.5 episodes (median 49.5, sd 27.8) and 341.1 minutes (median 324.1 minutes and sd 44.5) of marketing per match. This ranged from 99 episodes and 406.3 minutes at the Carlton versus Brisbane match, to 36 episodes and 310.1 minutes at the Geelong versus Hawthorn match (the only game in which neither team were directly sponsored by a wagering provider). The Etihad Stadium had a greater average amount of sports betting advertising (73 episodes, 361 minutes) as compared to the MCG (44 episodes and 321.3 minutes). The vast majority of marketing episodes occurred on either scoreboards (128 episodes, 55%) or on rotating dynamic banners (85 episodes, 36%). The frequency and duration of shirt logos was not recorded during the live match due to a lack of clear visibility of this form of marketing. 1 Frequency and duration of ‘in match’ sports betting marketing at stadiums. Broadcast Census Seven wagering brands were marketed during broadcasts: Centrebet; Tabsportsbet; Bet24/7; Sportingbet; Sportsbet.com.au ; Deesbet; and Crowsbet. The number of episodes and duration of marketing is presented in Table 2 . There were an average of 50.5 episodes (median 53.5, sd 45.2) and 4.8 minutes (median 5.0 minutes, sd 4.0) of marketing per match. Free‐to‐air television had a greater average amount of sports betting marketing (73 episodes, 6.9 minutes) as compared to Pay TV broadcasts (28 episodes, 2.6 minutes). The amount of advertising varied between broadcasts. For example, there were 123 episodes and 8.9 minutes during the Melbourne versus Collingwood broadcast, but only two episodes and 0.2 minutes during the Fremantle versus Essendon broadcast. The vast majority of visible marketing across the games was dynamic advertising with a total of 352 episodes (87%) and 28.7 minutes (75%). There were also differences according to which State the game was played in. For example, Victorian games had the most visible marketing (average of 86 episodes and 7.5 minutes across the four games); followed by South Australia (48 episodes, 5.7 minutes); New South Wales (7 episodes, 1.8 minutes); Queensland (3 episodes, 0.3 minutes); and Western Australia (2 episodes, 0.2 minutes). We have documented the frequency of shirt sponsorship logos later in this paper as, due to the rapid pace of games and the short sharp bursts of logo visibility, we were not able to accurately document the total length of logo visibility during the matches. 2 Frequency and duration of sports betting marketing during Free to Air and Pay‐TV match broadcasts. Content analysis The main themes that emerged from the analysis of sports betting marketing content were related to the way in which marketing strategies: a) embedded themselves within the game; b) aligned themselves with fans overall experience of the game; and c) encouraged them to bet during the game. These three themes were present within a range of advertising platforms. Wagering venues There were a number of wagering venues both within and directly outside the stadiums. These included TAB mobile wagering vans and TAB wagering venues inside the stadiums. Billboards and signage which encouraged individuals to bet during the game also linked individuals to betting venues at various points throughout the stadium. Billboards and signage Signs and billboards promoting sports betting were strategically positioned throughout the stadiums, including at gate entries, and directly behind the goal posts, and encouraged individuals to ‘bet live’ during the game. For example, at some of the main entry gates into the Etihad Stadium, billboards for Tabsportsbet featured a young man cheering with capitalised wording ‘BET LIVE DURING THE GAME’ with information for mobile betting websites. The billboard also included a logo for the TAB, which created a link with TAB‐owned wagering venues within the stadium. A small ‘problem gambling statement’ was present on the billboard. Dynamic on‐field signs were placed directly behind the goals, and also provided information about how individuals could bet live during the game. For example, Tabsportsbet.com.au advertising featured the slogan “You're On!” with a clearly displayed phone number. Advertising for Deesbet (the wagering product associated with the Melbourne Demons) contained the slogan “Bet live, bet now” with the website address and phone number clearly visible. In the Adelaide versus West Coast match, advertising for CrowsBet (the wagering product aligned with the Adelaide Crows) moved across electronic signage around the field. Scoreboard advertising At the stadiums, sports betting advertising occurred after ‘goal scored’ replays on big screens for three of the four home teams. These advertisements either: a) encouraged individuals to become more involved in the game through wagering; or b) embedded the wagering product with imagery associated with the home team or AFL football. For example, after replays of goals scored by St Kilda, a Centrebet logo followed the replay accompanied by a sound similar to a heartbeat and the message ‘Don't just watch it’. After a Carlton goal replay the word “GOAL!” burst out of the Carlton banner, exploding into fireworks and then morphing into the Sportingbet.com.au logo. Finally, replays of goals scored by the Melbourne Demons were followed by the words “Great Goal!” and Deesbet.com.au on an AFL football. Advertising was also embedded within match statistic reports about the team and individual players. These were displayed on the scoreboards throughout the game, and alongside video footage of the game. For example, wagering company logos were often visible alongside or underneath these team statistics. The most common example of this was during the Carlton versus Brisbane Lions game. When Carlton match statistics were displayed on the scoreboards, a Sportingbet logo (official sponsor of the Carlton team) was clearly visible alongside or underneath the statistics. Television and big screen commercials Commercial advertisements both at stadiums and during broadcasts also linked wagering with the AFL and AFL teams. The 30‐second advertisements used by Centrebet prior to the start of the St Kilda versus Western Bulldogs match used imagery and audio synonymous with both St Kilda and online sports betting. This included a laptop and mobile phone with the Centrebet website and a membership card. Betting imagery was interspersed with imagery of St Kilda matches, including: cheering fans within a football stadium; a fan having his face painted in team colours; and the team locker room. The advertising also used images of the sponsorship partnership between Centrebet and St Kilda, including a St Kilda footballer hitting the Centrebet signage before walking out to play; St Kilda players running through a banner featuring the Centrebet logo; and clearly visible Centrebet logos on St Kilda uniforms. At the end of the advertisement the words ‘proud major partner of the St Kilda Football Club’ were displayed. Other commercial advertisements used more instructive styles of product presentation, for example promising the best betting experience, the biggest wins, or the best odds. The stadium commercial for Sportingbet.com.au featured the company CEO Michael O'Sullivan describing how to place a bet, and using the slogan “the betting experience built by punters for punters”. O'Sullivan explained in the advertisement that with Sportingbet you can “bet fast on your mobile, anywhere, anytime” and that there is “no better bet than a SportingBet”. Other slogans included “Better odds and bigger wins” (for Betfair) and “Triple your profit… the best odds of any TAB” (for Bet 24/7). Finally, an ‘odds market update’ approach was used during Tabsportsbet commercial during match broadcasts. A Tabsportsbet representative encouraged individuals to consider the latest odds: “There is still plenty of time to get a bet on” and “if you feel like having a punt here are the latest odds … you can get on at your local TAB or around the nation at TAB.com.au ”. While all these commercials contained a slogan about problem gambling, visibility varied between stadiums and broadcasts. At stadiums, problem gambling statements were impossible to read with any detail. During broadcasts, Gambler's Help statements were clearer on advertisements, although there was still variability in the visibility of the message during different commercial advertisements. There was one commercial for Gambler's Help during the census. This advertisement played during a television broadcast, and portrayed a young boy talking about his father's experience with problem gambling and recovery after seeking help. The advertisement encouraged individuals to “take the problem out of gambling” by calling a free call number for “expert help”. Shirt and team sponsorship There were an additional number of platforms related to the Centrebet sponsorship of the St Kilda Football Club. At stadiums, this included Centrebet logos on players’ pre‐game uniforms, match uniforms, team banner, and spectators’ football jumpers. Centrebet shirt sponsorship logos on team jumpers were clearly visible in merchandise stores and vans. During the broadcast of the St Kilda versus Western Bulldogs match, advertising signage for Centrebet was visible in pre‐match locker shots, and a Centrebet logo was clearly visible on players’ uniforms 438 times during match. Integrated advertising Integrated advertising was used in slightly different ways at stadiums and during broadcasts. At stadiums, live wagering odds announcements (sponsored by Betfair) were spoken by the ground announcer prior to the start of the match and during game breaks. Odds were sometimes displayed on the scoreboards during the announcements. Odds announcements contained a clearly audible responsible gambling statement such as: “and please remember to gamble responsibly” or “gamble responsibly”. During broadcasts, advertising was integrated into the match in a number of different ways. First, live wagering odds were announced by the broadcast team – similar to those seen at stadiums. Second, sponsorship announcements were broadcast (on all Pay TV games and one free‐to‐air game) in which commentators acknowledged Tabsportsbet as the official broadcast sponsor followed by the slogan “You're On!” at the start and end of the broadcasts. Finally, live odds were updated through ‘pull‐through banners’ or ‘pop‐ups’. Electronic banners moved across the bottom of the screen during the match and featured the logo of either Sportingbet or TABSportsbet. Only some integrated advertising during broadcasts featured a problem gambling or responsible gambling message, for example: “Saints to win by 60 points –$6.50. Odds subject to change. Gamble responsibly”. Discussion and Implications Before discussing the results of this study it is important to highlight two main limitations. First, while the study provides an important ‘snapshot’ of sports betting marketing during a specific time period, it does not capture how marketing strategies may vary at different time points during the season. This is particularly important in considering whether there are times within the season when there may be more or less sports betting marketing during matches (for example, at the start of the season, or during finals). Second, due to a lack of resources we were not able to collect data from stadiums outside Victoria. The amount of visible sports betting marketing during the broadcast census suggests that there may be clear differences in the amount of sports betting marketing between stadiums and States. Further research will be important in considering these differences and why they occur. This study raises three broad points for discussion about how sports betting is marketed during sporting matches. First, a diverse range of marketing platforms were used to market sports betting products and services, which reflect the coming together of commercial relationships between a variety of different agencies. The use of these multiple platforms (such as static and dynamic signage, scoreboard advertising, logos, shirt sponsorship, animated sponsored goal replays), particularly at stadiums, meant that there was rarely a time during the match when audiences were not exposed to some form of marketing for sports betting. This finding raises an important point about the impact of saturation marketing strategies, in which audiences (in this case, individuals who attend sporting matches or watch sports on television) are unable to avoid some types of marketing. As observed in other public health issues such as tobacco, marketing strategies based on saturation techniques are particularly problematic because of the ways in which individuals can never avoid seeing or receiving messages. Furthermore, marketing for sports betting, particularly on dynamic signage, was inherently transferred to different spaces (such as family homes) through television broadcasts. As shown in other areas such as tobacco, these types of marketing may be particularly influential in softening children to products. Second, marketing strategies were embedded into the sporting match. Advertising, in particular, used context and symbolism to associate sports betting with both the technical and emotive aspects of the game. In this study we observed how integrated advertising strategies were used to fill spaces that would traditionally have been free of advertising, for example during match play. This additional layer of advertising is not commonly discussed in the academic literature and highlights: a) the new techniques that the wagering industry uses to break through advertising clutter, and set themselves apart from other products; and b) the way in which this type of marketing then becomes embedded within the game itself. By embedding advertising within the game, the strategy is to ensure that people's involvement with, and “positive feelings” towards, the game will then transfer to engaging in sports betting. Directly related to this are impulse marketing strategies which are used to encourage and push ‘real time’ wagering during matches; the ways in which technology allows individuals to instantly respond to messages to engage in sports betting; and how this may, in turn, impact upon gambling behaviours. Further research should explore the role of impulse marketing strategies in encouraging impulsive (or spontaneous) wagering during sporting matches. Finally, it is important to note that individuals receive primarily positive messages about sports betting during sporting matches. This is particularly important in thinking about the long‐term impact of marketing strategies on certain groups of individuals (such as young male sports fans), and in particular on children and adolescents. There was a clear imbalance between marketing which promoted sports betting, and messages which sought to minimise gambling harm or risk. It is important to note that proposed Australian legislation to remove some types of marketing (such as live odds bans) will also unintentionally remove the only harm minimisation messages that are clearly visible or audible within the matches. Regulation and/or harm minimisation messaging – both from government and sporting codes – may be effective in responding to the quantity and type of marketing which occurs during sporting matches. In considering how to implement effective counter frames it will be important to consider how to: a) deliver appropriate harm minimisation and help seeking messages; b) ensure that these are clearly visible and audible to audiences; c) place these messages at appropriate time points and places during the match; and d) apply these messages to all advertising and sponsorship content. What is less clear from this study is how different types of wagering marketing strategies may affect individuals in different ways. While most research and policy attention has been focused toward traditional forms of advertising, this ignores the impact of marketing strategies which are more subtle, pervasive and contextual. Future research may develop on the findings of this study by seeking to understand the ways in which these marketing strategies for sports betting are interpreted and applied by different groups of individuals and, importantly, the interplay between marketing strategies and socio‐contextual factors in influencing gambling behaviours.

Journal

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public HealthWiley

Published: Apr 1, 2012

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