Cited by 50Gambling Behavior and TreatmentsImpact of Technology on AdolescentsDigital Marketing and Social Media

“Get a £10 Free Bet Every Week!”—Gambling Advertising on Twitter: Volume, Content, Followers, Engagement, and Regulatory Compliance

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Rossi, Raffaello, Nairn, Agnes, Smith, Josh, Inskip, Christopher·2021·Journal of Public Policy & Marketing

Abstract

The internet raises substantial challenges for policy makers in regulating gambling harm. The proliferation of gambling advertising on Twitter is one such challenge. However, the sheer scale renders it extremely difficult to investigate using conventional techniques. In this article, the authors present three U.K. Twitter gambling advertising studies using both big data analytics and manual content analysis to explore the volume and content of gambling ads, the age and engagement of followers, and compliance with U.K. advertising regulations. They analyze 890,000 organic ads from 417 accounts along with data on 620,000 followers and 457,000 engagements (replies and retweets). They find that approximately 41,000 U.K. children follow Twitter gambling accounts, and that two-thirds of gambling advertising tweets fail to fully comply with regulations. Ads for e-sports gambling are markedly different from those for traditional gambling (such as on soccer, casinos, and lotteries) and appear to have strong appeal for children, with 28% of engagements with e-sports gambling ads coming from users under 16 years old. The authors make six policy recommendations: spotlight e-sports gambling advertising, create new social media–specific regulations, revise regulation on content appealing to children, use technology to block users under 18 years from seeing gambling ads, require ad labeling of organic gambling tweets, and deploy better enforcement.

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  • Advertisements and marketing promoting commodities harmful to health such as ultra-processed foods, tobacco, alcohol, and gambling are omnipresent and enhanced via home delivery platforms.

    “Advertisements and marketing promoting commodities harmful to health such as ultra-processed foods, tobacco, alcohol, and gambling are omnipresent 3 -7 and enhanced via home delivery platforms (e.g., Just Eat and Deliveroo).”

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. GambleAware (2018), 'Gambling Companies Spend £1.2 Billion Marketing Online, Five Times More Than on Television Ads,' press release (November 24), https://prod.begambleaware.miruma gency.hu/sites/default/files/2020-12/2018-11-24-gambling-market ing-online-five-times-tv-ad-spend.pdf.
  2. Schwartz, David G. (2013), Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling (Casino Edition) . London: Winchester Books.

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Authors
Rossi, R., Nairn, A., Smith, J., & Inskip, C.
Affiliations
  • University of Bristol (GB)
  • University of Sussex (GB)
Corresponding author
Rossi, Raffaello
Venue
Journal of Public Policy & Marketing
Published
2021-07-02
Volume
40
Issue
4
Pages
487-504
ISSN
  • 0743-9156 (ISSN-L)
  • 1547-7207
OpenAlex
W3129521947
Cited by
50
References
43
Citations by year
2026: 10 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 2
FWCI
4.77
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Public Policy & Marketing (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Bristol Research (University of Bristol) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
GambleAware
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Gambling Behavior and Treatments
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Digital Marketing and Social Media
Keywords
gambling advertising, Twitter, social media engagement

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