CONNECTING WITH SPORTS FANS: GAMBLING MARKETING STRATEGIES ON INSTAGRAM

Abstract

This paper presents findings from a larger mixed methods research project that examines the exposure, awareness and perceptions of young people to gambling marketing through and around live sport in two European countries. This paper is informed by the findings of an earlier set of focus groups with young people, but in this paper we focus on a qualitative analysis of gambling marketing communications around live sports events on Instagram from a number of major gambling companies. We collected a purposeful sample of posts, including image (N: 99) and video (N: 79), shared between October 2023 and early January 2024 from 7 major gambling brands’ Instagram accounts. This study provides important insights into how gambling brands use Instagram, and potentially bypass existing regulations to prevent gambling communications being viewed by children and young people under 18 years. It furthers a growing body of evidence that evidences the extent of gambling marketing that young people are exposed to and how gambling companies exploit sports fandom to target both gamblers and non-gamblers alike and to (re)brand the gambling industry as a normal leisure industry.