Gainsbury*&*Blaszczynski*-*Live-odds*in-sports*betting*advertising*&*time*limited*special*offe rs*
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Live-odds!in-sports!betting!advertising!and!time!limited!special!offers!
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A!rapid!scoping!report!for!Gamble!Aware!
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Sally!Gainsbury!PhD!&!Alexander!Blaszczynski!PhD!
School!of!Psychology,!The!University!of!Sydney,!Australia!
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Terms!of!reference:!GambleAware!has!requested!a!summary!of!(1)!live-odds!in-sports!betting!and!
whether!this!form!of!adve rtising!ca use s!harm!in!a!way!that!gam b ling!ad vertising !in!gen eral!do es !not,!
and!(2)!the!risks!posed!to!gamblers,!and!particularly!problem!gamblers,!by!time-limited!sp e cia l!o ffe rs . !
Live-odds)in)sports)betting)
Live-odds!refer!to!the!presentation!and!discussion!of!the!betting!odds!at!a!current!point!in!time,!for!
example,!the!likelihood!of!a!team!winning!a!sporting!event!currently!underway.!T he se !a re!typically!
portrayed!in!sports!broadcasts!through!presenter!commentaries!and/or!odds!displayed!on!television!
screens,!sponsored!segments,!and!visual!displays!at!venues!(e.g.,!on!score!boards).!
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Live-odds!promoted!throu gh !these !cha nn els!ca n!be !con stru ed !as!ad vertise m en ts.!In!add ition!to !the!
general!influence!of!advertising!on!consumption!of!products!and!services,!live-odds!are!integrated!into!
the!coverage!of!a!live!sporting!event!and!can!be!construed!as:!
• Embedded!(and!in tru siv e /e xc e ss ive / un n e ce s sa ry )!adverting!for!most!viewers!that!is!difficult!to!
avoid!given!these!occur!at!critical!points!within!the!sports!broadcast!(as!opposed!to!commercial!
breaks!that!can!be!muted!or!attention!distracted),!and!when!audiences!are!attentive!and!
potentially!in!a!heightened!state!of!arousal!and!emotion
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.!!
• An!added!incentive!or!inducement!to!place!bets!or!increase!bet!size,!that!is,!encourage!the!
impulsive!placement/increase!in!betting!in!res po n s e!t o !at tra ct ive !odds!being!offered!at!that!
point!in!time,!and!to!avoid!the!regret!o f!missin g!ou t!on !a!po ten tial!win.!!
• An!incentive!to!chase!losses,!by!highlighting!the!potential!for!a!bet!to!lose,!thus!encouraging!
gamblers!to!place!further!bets!to!minimise!losses.!
• In!the!co ntext!of!a!sporting!event,!live-odds!in-play!exposes!and!draws!the!attention!of!all!
viewers,!irrespective!of!age!and!at-risk!gamb ling!statu s!or!vu lne rab ilities,!to!gam b ling .!!Such !
passive!embedded!exposure!to!live-odds!in -play!normalises!gambling!as!an!integral!component!
of!sports,!that!is,!the!‘sportification!of!gambling’,!and!the!‘gamblification!of!sports’.!!
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Little!research!has!investigated!the!influence!of!these!promotions!on!gambling!attitudes,!participation,!
and!problems.!Focus!groups!with!Australian!adults!and!adolescents!found!strong!disapproval!for!live!
studio!crosses!to!gambling!operators!to!discuss!betting!odds,!on-screen !displays!of!live!betting!odds,!and!
in-match!commentary!about!betting!odds
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.!A!subsequent!survey!found!sizeable!minorities!of!sports!
bettors!agreed!that!promotions!encouraged!them!to!bet!on!sports,!especially!pre-match!commentary!
on!betting!odds!(37.5%),!on-screen!displays!of!live!betting!odds!(36.6%),!live!studio!crosses!to!gambling!
operators!discussing!betting!odds!(32.5%),!and!in-match!commentary!about!betting!odds!(30.%).!Nearly!
one!in!eight!adolescents!surveyed!agreed!that!these!promotions!en couraged!them!to!bet.!Problem!
gamblers!participating!in!the!research!w ere !m ore !likely!to!agre e!tha t!thes e!pro m o tions !increa sed !their!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1
!Hing,!Australian!Gambling!Research!Centre,!and!Australian!Institute!of!Family!Studies,!Sports*Betting*and*
Advertising.!
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!Hing,!Vitartas,!and!Lamont,!“Promotion!of!Gambling!and!Live!Betting!Odds!during!Televised!Sport.”!
Gainsbury*&*Blaszczynski*-*Live-odds*in-sports*betting*advertising*&*time*limited*special*offe rs*
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gambling!freq u en c y,!e xp e n d itu re ,!an d !time!spent !b et tin g .!Although!limited!by!the!reliance!on!self-
report,!this!provide s!some!evidence!of!th e!po ten tial!ha rm !rela ted !to!the!p romotion!of!live!betting !odd s.!!
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Policy!
Legislations!approving!or!prohibiting!the!extent!and!types!of!sports!betting!varies!across!international!
jurisdictio n s!w it h !n o!c o n sis te n t!com m on!threads !able!to!be!discerned.!!The!pervasiveness!of!sports!
betting!promotions!during!sports!broadcast!has!raised!community!concerns!and!led!to!voluntary!codes!
of!conduct!being!amended!as!well!as!legislatio n .!In !2 0 1 2,!Australian!commercial!and!subscription!
broadcasters!agreed!to!amend!their!existing!codes!of!practice!to!restrict!live!odds!promotions,!including!
banning!sporting!commentators!from!referring!to!live!odds ,!and!banning!all!live!odds!promotion!during!
play.!Promoting!live!betting!odds!during!sports!coverage!was!subsequently!banned!by!the!Australian!
Communication!and!Media!Authority!in!Augu s t!2 0 13 .!Prom otion!of!betting!odds!is!allowed!half!an!hour!
before!and!half!an!hour!after!the!game,!and!only!by!persons!clearly!identified!as!bookies.!Bookmakers!
are!not!allowed!to!be!guests!on!sports!panels!and!commentators!cannot!discuss!odds.!Gambling!
advertising!is!still!allowed,!although!it!is!restricted!to!scheduled!breaks!such!as!half!time,!and!
unscheduled!breaks,!such!as!rain!delays.!Australian!bookies!can!no!longer!offer!live!bets!online!but!
gamblers!remain!able!to!place!in-play!bets!over!the!telephone!and!in!venues.!'Click-to-call'!facilities!on!
smart!phones!applications!wh ere!a!single!click!on!an!icon!allows!bets!to!be!placed!within!seconds!is!to!
be!banned!by!the!Australian!government.!
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In!the!ab s e n ce !o f!r es e ar ch !a n d !e mpirical!eviden c e!t o !in fo rm!policy,!po licie s!a re !largely!drive n !b y!p u b lic!
sentiment!and!comm u nity!response!to!the!rapid!increase!in!sports!betting!adv ertising!during!sporting!
events,!particularly!the!promotion!of!live!odds.!Research!before!the!ban!revealed!42%!of!Australians!
believed!that!giving!odds!during!live!sports!coverage!should !be!illega l!and!11%!ranked!sports!gambling!
ads!as!more!harmful!than!tobacco!promotions
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.!Conversely,!operator s!e x p r e ss e d !c o n c e rn s !that!bann i n g !
promotion!of!live!odds!during!televised!sporting!events!would!result!in!an!increase!in!online!pro m o tion s!
and!potentially!drive!gamblers!to!offsho re!sites!w ith!fe w !con sumer!protection!m e asu res.!Three!
government!inquiries!conducted!before!the!ban!into!sports!betting!advertising!came!into!effect!had!all!
recomm en d ed !legislative!changes!to!restrict!the!promotion!of!live!odds!during!spo rt.!!
Consideration!should!be!directed!to!potential!unintended!consequences!of!restrictions!on!promotions!
for!live-odds!such!as!displacement!to!other!form s!of!advertising!and!prom otion .!!Evidence!of!this!
potential!can!be!sighted!in!the!effects!apparent!12!months!following!the!2013!ban!where!gambling!
advertising!reportedly!increased!by!251%
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!and!warnings!about!the!risks!of!gambling!and!provision!of!the!
gambling!helpline!that!had!typically!accompanied!the!provision!of!live!betting!odds!reportedly!reduced
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This!suggests!a!compensatory!shift!in!the!advertising!environment!from!promoting!live-in!odds!during!
televised!events!to !online!marketing!with!televised!and!in-play!ads!for!online!gambling!in!general!
increasin g . !However,!it!should!be!noted!that!the!online!gambling!market!was!shifting!at!this!time!to!see!
the!entry!of!severa l!new !o pe rato rs,!wh ich!is!likely!also!relate d!to !the!inc rea se!in!gambling!advertising.!
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In!deter m ining!policie s !re lat e d !to !banning!promotions!of!live-odds,!attention!could!be!given!to!
introduc in g !leg is lat ion !t o !res tric t!the se!p rom o tion s!to !spo rting !even ts!bro ad ca st!ou tside!of!p rim e-time!
television!(after!8.30p m ,!for!exa m ple ),!or!to!ban !live-odds!and!restrict!other!forms!of!gambling!
advertising!to!commercials!shown!in!non-prime!time!periods.!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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!Sandev,!“Newspoll:!Sports!Betting!Agency!Ads!Increase!Problem!Gambling.”!
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!Schetzer,!“Gambling!Ads!Soar!Following!ACMA!2013!Live!Odds!Ban.”!
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!Hing,!Vitartas,!and!Lamont,!“Promotion!of!Gambling!and!Live!Betting!Odds!during!Televised!Sport.”!
Gainsbury*&*Blaszczynski*-*Live-odds*in-sports*betting*advertising*&*time*limited*special*offe rs*
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Time-limited) sp e cial)offers))
Online!sports!betting!agencies!advertised!various!forms!of!time-lim ite d !be ts !a n d!p ro motions.!
Induce ments!are !ge n e ra lly!t im e -limited!and !c h an g e !fre q u en tly .!T h ey !a re !often !relate d!to !spec ific!bets !
and!events!and!intensify!in!the!lead-up!to!weekend!sports!and!racing!events.!This!frequent!refreshment!
of!inducements!provides!a!steady!and!continual!stream!of!new!short-term!offers!w h ich!m ay !help !to!
keep!the!betting!product!interesting!for!customers!and!encourage!frequent!visitation!to!wagering!sites
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An!audit!of!wagering!inducements!among!30!companies!in!Australia!found!223!distinct!inducements,!
categorised!into!15!different!types,!demonstrating!the!wide-range!of!betting!promotions
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.!The!most!
common!types!of!induceme nts!were!refund/stake!back!offers!(often!interpreted!as!‘free’!bets),!followed!
by!sign-up!offers,!bonuses!or!better!odds!and!bonuses!or!better!winnings.!Almost!half!of!all!promotions!
(48%)!include d !time !restrictions.!For!example,!‘Happy!Hour’!bets!are!offered!during!a!defined!time!and!
may!concentrate!betting!into!short!time!periods,!thus!intensifying!betting.!For!other!promotional!offers,!
in!order!to !a c hie v e!t h e!b e n ef it!o f!th e !b o n us !o ffe r,!a n d!withdraw !a ny!winnings,!customers!are!generally!
required!to!m ak e!a!de po sit!an d!make!multiple!bets!within!a!specified!time!period.!These!conditions!may!
have!the!consequence!of!intensifyin g !betting!and!encouraging!repeated!betting!during!a!specified!time!
period.!Consequentially,!customers!are!encouraged!to!return!to!the!betting!site!and!place!further!bets!in!
order!to!receive!any!‘winnings’,!while!being!targeted!with!promotional!marketing!and!offers!in!the!
meantime.!!
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Another!type!of!time-limited !b e t!in clu d e s!micro-bets.!Micro-bets!within!sports!betting!refer!to!betting!
on!events!within!a!game,!such!as!the!next!goal!scorer!in!a!soccer!match,!or!the!outcome!of!the!next!ball!
in!a!cricket !match.!By!th e ir!n a tu re !th e se !a re !time-limite d.!Micro-bets!allow!for!a!large!number!of!bets!to!
be!placed,!particularly!as!compared!to!betting!solely!on!the!outcomes!of!a!match.!They!make!the!betting!
experience!more!continuous!and!with!the!potential!for!less!consideration!involved!in!each!bet.!!
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Online!gamblers!are!influenced!by!gambling!advertising.!One-te nth !of!Au stralian !Intern et!ga m blers !
surveyed!reported!that!marketing!and !prom otion s!were!critical!to!their!initial!uptake!and!29%!reported!
increase d !on lin e !g ambling!exp e n d itu re !as !a !res u lt!o f!v ie w in g !pr omotions
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.!Gambling!advertising!can!
have!particularly!negative!impacts!on!problem!gamblers.!Compared!to!other!gamblers,!problem!
gamblers!report!gambling!advertisements!as!being!a!greater!stimulation!to!gamble,!a!larger!influence!on!
spending!more!than!intend ed,!and!an! en couragement!to!them!to!think!they!can!win!
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.!Problem!
gamblers!also!report!that!gambling!advertisements!can!remind!them!about!gambling,!trigger!gambling!
urges,!provide!inducements!to!gamble,!further!increase!gambling!involvement!and!undermine!attempts!
to!moderate!their!gambling
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.!Time-limited!spe cia l!o ffe rs ,!su ch !a s!money-back!guarantees!and!‘free’!
bets!that!require!player!deposits,!appear!to!particularly!increase!Internet!gambling!among!problem!
gamblers.!Research!has!indicated!that!problem!gamblers!were!also!particularly!attracted!to!promotions!
for!time-limited!bet-types,!such!as!micro -bets!placed!on!short-term!con tinge ncie s!du ring!m atc h!pla y
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!Hing!et!al.,!“Review!and!Analysis!of!Sports!and!Race!Betting!Inducements.”!
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!Ibid.!
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!Hing!et!al.,!“Interactive!Gambling.”!
9
!Hing,!Australian!Gambling!Research!Centre,!and!Australian!Institute!of!Family!Studies,!Sports*Betting*and*
Advertising.!
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!Hing!et!al.,!“Do!Advertising!and!Promotions!for!Online!Gambling!Increase!Gambling!Consumption?”!
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!Hing,!Vitartas,!and!Lamont,!“Promotion!of!Gambling!and!Live!Betting!Odds!during!Televised!Sport.”!
Gainsbury*&*Blaszczynski*-*Live-odds*in-sports*betting*advertising*&*time*limited*special*offe rs*
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There!is!very!little!research!on!the!impact!of!different!bet!types!and!promotional!offers.!A!study!of!
Australian!gamblers!found!that!one-third!of!spo rts!be ttors!ag ree d!tha t!the!p rom o tion !of!tim e- limited!
bet!offers!(e.g.,!available!only!to!the!first!100!callers)!during!a!sporting!event!encouraged!them!to!bet,!
and!about!one-quarter!agreed!that!it!increased!the!likelihood!of!them !p lac in g!impulse!b et s!d u rin g !a!
sports!match
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.!Among!gamblers!surveyed,!a!bet!with!a!risk-free!offer!elicited!mo st!inte rest,!tem p tatio n ,!
and!likelihood!of!placing!a!promotional!bet,!followed!by!a!micro-bet
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.!Messag e!e le m e n ts!fu rth e r!
increasin g !this!likeliho od !we re!th e!m essa ge !being!presented!by!an!attractive!non-expert,!neutral!type!of!
appeal,!and!use!of!on-screen!display.!Problem!gam blers!were!m ore!likely!to!be!attracted!to!time-lim ite d!
micro-bets!than!non-problem!and!at-risk!gamblers.!Similar!results!w ere !fou nd !from !a!fo cus !grou p!w ith!
Canadian!problem!gamblers
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;!time-limited!promotions,!s uc h !a s!h a vin g !to !e ar n!a !c er ta in !amount!of !
‘points ’!th r o u g h !g a mbling!to !re a c h !a !s p e c ific !t ie r!within!a!lo y a lt y !p ro g ra m,!enco u ra g e d !further!ga mbling.!
Participants!across!these!research!studies!discussed!how!these!promotions!make!it!difficult!for!them!to!
control!their!gambling,!including!for!those!who!were!actively!trying!to!reduce!this,!as!they!triggered!
urges!to!gamble!and!increased!gambling!expenditure.!The!time-limited !n at u re !of !pr o m o t ion s !ca n !b e!
particularly!influential!on!gamblers!with!impulse-control!difficulties,!which!is!highly!related!to!gambling!
problems.!!
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Policy!
Many!regulatory!environments!lack!clear!definitions!to!guide!bet!types!and!promotional!offers.!One!of!
the!challenges!co n fron ting!reg ulato rs!is!the!ca pa city!to!d ifferen tiate!b etw ee n!o ffers!tha t!con stitute !an!
inducement!as!co mpared!to !a !leg itimate!ma rk et in g!promotion.!Both!inducements!and!promotions!are!
designed!to!increase!consumption!(in!addition!to!enhancing!visibility!and!brand!loyalty);!inducements,!
however,!contain!an!implication!of!unfairness!or!excessive!encouragement!to!consume!a!product!or!
service!that!otherwise!the!individual!would!not!typically!purchase.!!!
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Guidelines!may!also!vary!considerably!between!jurisdictions!as!well!as!between!regulations,!voluntary!
industry !an d !a d ve rtis in g !co d e s!o f!c o nd u c t,!a nd !p la tfo rms!(e.g.,!telev isio n !v s.!o n lin e ). ! In!the!Australian!
audit!of!wagering!inducements
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,!prom o ti o n s !a n d !in d ucements!rarely! (1 2% )!had!a!responsible!gambling!
message!embedded,!despite!the!requirement!for!all!gambling!marketing!to!include!this.!Across!
Australian!states,!regulations!differ!on!what!types!of!inducements!and!prom otions!can !be!offered!to!
existing!and!new!online!gambling!customers.!Micro-betting!and!in-play!betting!is!not!allowed!to!be!
offered!by!online!operators,!although!these!types!of!bets!can!be!placed!via!telephone!or!in!venues.!
Terms!and!conditions!for!inducements!and!promotions!are!generally!complex!and!lack!transparency.!
They!are!generally!not!displayed!in!the!advertisements!and!offers,!but!require!customers!to!click!on!a!
link!to!acc e ss !th e se ,!or !fin d !th es e !th e m s e lve s,!o ft en !p la ce d !w ith in!a!m o re!gen era l!term s!an d!co nd itions !
page.!!
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In!Denmark,!gam b lin g !in d u c e m e n t s!c an !be!offered ,!b u t!a re !s u b jec t!t o !e ss en t ial!c o n d it io n s!which!m u st !
be!included!in!the!first!presentation!of!the!offer!(i.e.,!not!in!fine!print).!These!include!clearly!defining!
time!limits!related!to!the !offe r,!such !as!the !exp iry!of!the!b on us ,!or!requ irem en t!to!p lay!thro ug h!w ithin!a !
specified!period.!!
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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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!Ibid.!
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!Ibid.!
14
!Responsible!Gambling!Council,!“Responsible!Gambling!Best!Practices!for!Player!Incentives:!Land-Based!Venues.”!
15
!Hing!et!al.,!“Review!and!Analysis!of!Sports!and!Race!Betting!Inducements.”!
Gainsbury*&*Blaszczynski*-*Live-odds*in-sports*betting*advertising*&*time*limited*special*offe rs*
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Policy)implications)
• Embedded!gambling!promotions,!particularly!for!live-betting!odds,!‘free’!bets,!and!time-limite d !
micro-bets,!are!likely!to!be!appealing!to!gamblers,!and!particularly!problem!gamblers,!and!
potentially!have!an!impact!on!adolescents!and!children.!Consequently,!promotions!for!these!bet!
types!may!co ntrib ute !to,!and !exa cerb ate !gam b ling-re late d!pro b lem s!in!vu lne rab le!po pu latio ns.!!
• Measures!are!needed!to!minimise!sports!betting!problems,!including!community!education!and!
social!marketing!targeted!at!high-risk!group s!to !co un ter!ad vertisin g!of!sp orts!b etting.!These!
should!specifically!target!young!males!who!are!highly!exposed !to!sports!betting!prom otions!an d!
at-risk!of!develop ing!ga m b ling!pro b lem s.!!
• Exemptions!for!gambling!advertising!during!general!television!viewing!times!and!the!quantity!
and!types!of!promotions!allowed!during!live!and!televised!sports!could!be!reviewed,!with!
particular!attention!paid!to!the!prom otion !of!live-odds!and!time-limited !an d !b o n u s!p ro motions.!
• Terms!and!conditions!associated!with!inducements!should!be!clearly!stated!in!the!initial!
promotional!offer,!including!any!time-restrictions!and!play-th rou gh !req uirem e nts.!
• All!promotions!should!include!responsible!gamblin g!m es sage s.!These!should!be!visible!and!as!
likely!to!ga in !at te n tio n !as !th e !ce n tr al!marketing!messages.!
• Adequate!time!and!space!during!sporting!events!and!across!marketing!platforms!should!be!
dedicated!to!counter-advertising!and!public!education!to!balance!public!information!about!
betting!offers,!including!warning!and!educational!messages!and!information!abo ut!pre ve ntio n,!
help-seeking,!and!treatment.!!
• Ongoing!research!is!needed!to!determine!the!impact!of!sports!betting!promotions,!particularly!
on!vulnerable!groups.!This!includes!research!on!how!promotions!can!shift!consumer!attitudes!
and!behaviours!and!contribute !to!the !de velo pm e nt!o f!gam b ling-related!problem s.!
