Due to their high exposure to gambling marketing, Irish children increasingly view gambling as a normal part of sports. This is according to the findings of a new study.
A team of academics on both sides of the border conducted research. They found evidence of extensive gambling marketing through social media. The marketing was also present in conversations among young people and in displays at betting shops.
The study observed that these myriad forums of exposure indicate a saturation of gambling communications in these children’s lives.
Irish children recognized the financial risks, yet many believed that sports and gambling were a good match.
Nonetheless, the research found few understood the wider social risks in connection to the harm caused by gambling.
The authors of the study’s findings are published in BMC Public Health, a medical journal. They aimed to explore children’s exposure to and understanding of gambling marketing. This occurs as gambling marketing increases, with young people more aware of gambling brands than ever before.
They also sought to establish Irish children’s views on the tactics used by gambling firms to market their products.
The research included six face-to-face focus groups. They consisted of 51 teenagers aged 14-17 from the Republic and Northern Ireland. All participants lived near the border and had an interest in watching sports broadcasts.
Paul James Kitchin, one of the main authors of the report, stated that understanding how exposure to gambling messages shapes young people’s perceptions of the relationship between sport and gambling is essential. This understanding is crucial for policymakers to better craft related legislation and regulations.
Dr. Kitchin is a senior lecturer at Ulster University’s School of Sport. He said that it was also important for informing parents and educators with public health messaging specifically in the context where other studies had shown that 3.3 per cent of adults in the Republic and 2.3 per cent of adults in Northern Ireland had experienced harm from gambling.
