US Study Links Gambling Advertising to Betting Activity and Searches for Help

BOULDER, Colo. – A new University of Colorado Boulder study has found associations between gambling advertising, betting activity and searches for problem gambling support. The findings raise questions about how online gambling promotions are targeted and whether existing advertising safeguards adequately protect vulnerable consumers.

The peer-reviewed research combines advertising and search data from 41 US states with observed digital activity from 419 mobile-platform users. Researchers examined sports betting, online casinos and other gambling-related activities to understand how advertising exposure relates to consumer behavior.

Higher Gambling Ad Spending Linked to Searches for Help

According to the University of Colorado Boulder’s research coverage, the study was led by Chris Vargo and Toby Hopp, both from the university’s College of Communication, Media, Design and Information, alongside Harsha Gangadharbatla of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The first part of the research examined quarterly gambling advertising expenditure between 2014 and 2023. Researchers compared spending across 41 states with Google Trends data covering 116 search queries associated with seeking help for problem gambling.

States with higher gambling advertising spending generally showed greater search interest in gambling-related support. The association also strengthened over time, suggesting that advertising exposure could be an important factor when examining changes in gambling-related behavior.

However, whether sports betting was legal in a particular state was not independently associated with increased help-seeking search interest in the researchers’ analysis. This distinction suggests that advertising activity deserves separate attention from the legal availability of gambling products.

Vargo said the research approached gambling marketing from a different perspective than traditional advertising studies, examining how promotional activity relates to gambling engagement and searches for support rather than measuring marketing effectiveness alone.

Gambling Ads Followed by Activity Within 24 Hours

The second part of the study published in Policy & Internet combined survey responses with digital activity records from 419 users. The data included website visits, app usage, online searches, social media activity and exposure to advertisements.

Researchers found that exposure to gambling advertising on Facebook, TikTok and X was associated with gambling participation, betting frequency and the likelihood of visiting gambling websites. Some participants encountered 50, 100 or more gambling advertisements in a single week, highlighting the intensity of promotional exposure among certain users.

The team also examined advertising exposures occurring after at least 24 hours without observed gambling activity. In these cases, 8.3% of qualifying gambling ad exposures were followed by a gambling-related digital interaction within the next 24 hours.

These interactions included activities such as visiting gambling websites or applications, rather than necessarily placing a wager. The figure therefore should not be interpreted as meaning that 8.3% of advertisements caused someone to gamble.

The researchers emphasized that the study was observational and did not establish causation. Existing gamblers may receive more targeted advertisements because of their previous online activity, making it difficult to separate advertising effects from underlying gambling behavior.

Researchers Raise Questions About Online Gambling Advertising Rules

The findings add to concerns about how digital marketing systems can repeatedly expose users to gambling promotions. Advertising algorithms can target individuals based on browsing behavior, platform activity and previous interactions, potentially reaching people who have temporarily stopped gambling.

Vargo suggested that regulators examine advertising volume, promotional incentives and targeting practices, including offers involving free bets. He also proposed making gambling support resources more visible through online search results, social media and links to self-exclusion services.

The research adds another perspective to ongoing gambling advertising research in Colorado. A separate UNLV project is examining whether sportsbook bonuses and promotional offers can contribute directly to gambling-related harm, although its findings remain preliminary.

Casino games, lotteries, skill-based games and financial betting were also considered in the University of Colorado research. However, the reported findings do not establish separate advertising effects for individual casino products or prediction market platforms.

The authors conclude that advertising restrictions could be examined independently of broader debates over sports betting legalization. Their findings provide evidence of associations between marketing exposure, gambling engagement and help-seeking behavior, while leaving the question of direct causal effects for further research.

RELATED TOPICS: Responsible Gambling