Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress 2023 EHA Congress 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on sleep in brain health

LIVE: Thursday 2nd May 2024, 18:00-19:30 (CEST)

Quality sleep is essential for health. But what happens to our brains when sleep patterns are disturbed? Join our experts to explore the interplay between sleep disruption and neurological diseases, and the questions that you need to be asking your patients to help you prevent the harmful effects of sleep deprivation.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Journal of Gambling Studies
Published in: Journal of Gambling Studies 3/2018

Open Access 01-09-2018 | Original Paper

Betting is Loving and Bettors are Predators: A Conceptual Metaphor Approach to Online Sports Betting Advertising

Authors: Hibai Lopez-Gonzalez, Frederic Guerrero-Solé, Ana Estévez, Mark Griffiths

Published in: Journal of Gambling Studies | Issue 3/2018

Login to get access

Abstract

The legalisation of online gambling in multiple territories has caused a growth in the exposure of consumers to online sports betting (OSB) advertising. While some efforts have been made to understand the visible structure of betting promotional messages, little is known about the latent components of OSB advertisements. The present study sought to address this issue by examining the metaphorical conceptualisation of OSB advertising. A sample of Spanish and British television OSB advertisements from 2014 to 2016 was analysed (N = 133). Following Lakoff and Johnson’s conceptual metaphor theory, four main structural metaphors that shaped how OSB advertising can be understood were identified: betting as (1) an act of love, (2) a market, (3) a sport, and (4) a natural environment. In general, these metaphors, which were found widely across 29 different betting brands, facilitated the perception of bettors as active players, with an executive role in the sport events bet upon, and greater control over bet outcomes.
Footnotes
1
The advertisements that were analysed included the following brands: Betfair, Bet365, William Hill, 888 Sports, Skybet, Titanbet, Marca Apuestas, Sportium, Unibet, BetVictor, Marathonbet, Paf, Interwetten, Paddy Power, Ladbrokes, Coral, Luckia, Betfred, Betway, Betsafe, Bwin, Codere, Bet-at-home, 10Bet, Bet Stars, Dafabet, 188Bet, Sun Bets, NetBet.
 
Literature
Adu-Ampong, E. A. (2016). A metaphor analysis research agenda for tourism studies. Annals of Tourism Research, 57, 248–250.CrossRef
Beck, C. T. (2016). Posttraumatic stress disorder after birth: A metaphor analysis. The American Journal of Maternal Child Nursing, 41(2), 76–83.CrossRefPubMed
Bestman, A., Thomas, S. L., Randle, M., & Thomas, S. D. M. (2015). Children’s implicit recall of junk food, alcohol and gambling sponsorship in Australian sport. BMC Public Health, 15, 1022.CrossRefPubMedCentralPubMed
Binde, P. (2014). Gambling advertising: A critical research review. London: Responsible Gambling Trust.
David, O., Lakoff, G., & Stickles, E. (2016). Cascades in metaphor and grammar: A case study of metaphors in the gun debate. Construction and Frames, 8(2), 214–253.CrossRef
European Commission. (2012). Towards a comprehensive European framework for online gambling. Brussels: European Commission.
European Gaming, & Betting Association. (2016). Market reality. Brussels: European Gaming & Betting Association.
Franz, M., & Feld, T. C. (2015). The status of continuing higher education at German universities: A metaphor analysis. Journal of Adult and Continuing Education, 21(2), 77–92.CrossRef
Gainsbury, S., Delfabbro, P., King, D. L., & Hing, N. (2016). An exploratory study of gambling operators’ use of social media and the latent messages conveyed. Journal of Gambling Studies, 32(1), 125–141.CrossRefPubMed
Gainsbury, S., Parke, J., & Suhonen, N. (2013). Consumer attitudes towards Internet gambling: Perceptions of responsible gambling policies, consumer protection, and regulation of online gambling sites. Computers in Human Behavior, 29, 235–245.CrossRef
Gainsbury, S., & Russell, A. (2015). Betting patterns for sports and races: A longitudinal analysis of online wagering in Australia. Journal of Gambling Studies, 31(1), 17–32.CrossRefPubMed
Gassmann, F., Emrich, E., & Pierdzioch, C. (2017). Who bets on sports? Some further empirical evidence using German data. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 52, 391–410.CrossRef
Gordon, R., & Chapman, M. (2014). Brand community and sports betting in Australia. North Melbourne, VIC: Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation.
Gordon, R., Gurrieri, L., & Chapman, M. (2015). Broadening an understanding of problem gambling: The lifestyle consumption community of sports betting. Journal of Business Research, 68(10), 2164–2172.CrossRef
Griffiths, M. (2005). Does gambling advertising contribute to problem gambling? International Journal of Mental Health & Addiction, 3, 15–25.
Hamarat, E. (2016). Capturing pre-service social studies teachers perceptions about the concept of election through metaphor analysis. Educational Research and Reviews, 11(5), 174–181.CrossRef
Hanss, D., Mentzoni, R. A., Griffiths, M. D., & Pallesen, S. (2015). The impact of gambling advertising: Problem gamblers report stronger impacts on involvement, knowledge, and awareness than recreational gamblers. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 29(2), 483–491.CrossRefPubMed
Hauser, D. J., & Schwarz, N. (2015). The war on prevention: Bellicose cancer metaphors hurt (some) prevention intentions. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 41(1), 66–77.CrossRefPubMed
Hing, N., Russell, A. M. T., Vitartas, P., & Lamont, M. (2016). Demographic, behavioural and normative risk factors for gambling problems amongst sports bettors. Journal of Gambling Studies, 32(2), 625–641.CrossRefPubMed
Hing, N., Sproston, K., Brook, K., & Brading, R. (2017). The structural features of sports and race betting inducements: Issues for harm minimisation and consumer protection. Journal of Gambling Studies, 33, 685–704.CrossRefPubMed
Hing, N., Vitartas, P., & Lamont, M. (2014). Promotion of gambling and live betting odds during televised sport: Influences on gambling participation and problem gambling. Lismore: Centre for Gambling Education and Research.
Koc, M. (2013). Student teachers’ conceptions of technology: A metaphor analysis. Computers & Education, 68, 1–8.CrossRef
Kövecses, Z. (2005). Metaphor in culture: Universality and variation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRef
Krippendorff, K. (2013). Content analysis: An introduction to its methodology. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Kwak, D. H., Lee, J. S., & Mahan, J. E., III. (2013). Ad-evoked illusory judgments in fantasy sports participation: Effects of customization level and expert information. Journal of Sport Management, 27(5), 393–406.CrossRef
Lakoff, G. (1987). Women, fire, and dangerous things: What categories reveal about the mind. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.CrossRef
Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (1980). Metaphors we live by. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Lamont, M., Hing, N., & Gainsbury, S. (2011). Gambling on sport sponsorship: A conceptual framework for research and regulatory review. Sport Management Review, 14(3), 246–257.CrossRef
Lamont, M., Hing, N., & Vitartas, P. (2016). Affective response to gambling promotions during televised sport: A qualitative analysis. Sport Management Review, 19(3), 319–331.CrossRef
Lindsay, S., Thomas, S., Lewis, S., Westberg, K., Moodie, R., & Jones, S. (2013). Eat, drink and gamble: Marketing messages about “risky” products in an Australian major sporting series. BMC Public Health, 13(1), 719.CrossRefPubMedCentralPubMed
Lopez-Gonzalez, H., & Griffiths, M. D. (2016b). Is European online gambling regulation adequately addressing in-play betting advertising? Gaming Law Review and Economics, 20(6), 495–503.CrossRef
McMullan, J. L., Miller, D. E., & Perrier, D. C. (2012). “I’ve seen them so much they are just there”: Exploring young people’s perceptions of gambling in advertising. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 10(6), 829–848.CrossRef
Milner, L., Hing, N., Vitartas, P., & Lamont, M. (2013). Embedded gambling promotion in Australian football broadcasts: An exploratory study. Communication Politics & Culture, 46, 177–198.
Nelson, S. C., Crouch, J. M., Bamshad, M. J., Tabor, H. K., & Yu, J.-H. (2016). Use of metaphors about exome and whole genome sequencing. American Journal of Medical Genetics, 170(A), 1127–1133.CrossRef
Newall, P. W. S. (2015). How bookies make your money. Judgment and Decision Making, 10(3), 225–231.
Parke, A., Harris, A., Parke, J., Rigbye, J., & Blaszczynski, A. (2014). Responsible marketing and advertising in gambling: A critical review. Journal of Gambling Business and Economics, 8(3), 21–35.
Paul, R. J., & Weinbach, A. P. (2010). The determinants of betting volume for sports in North America: Evidence of sports betting as consumption in the NBA and NHL. International Journal of Sport Finance, 5(2), 128–140.
Pitt, H., Thomas, S., Bestman, A., Stoneham, M., & Daube, M. (2016). “It’s just everywhere!’’ Children and parents discuss the marketing of sports betting in Australia. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 40, 480–486.CrossRefPubMed
Rose, I. N. (2015). Are daily fantasy sports legal? Gaming Law Review and Economics, 19(5), 346–349.CrossRef
Saban, A., Kocbeker, B. N., & Saban, A. (2007). Prospective teachers’ conceptions of teaching and learning revealed through metaphor analysis. Learning and Instruction, 17(2), 123–139.CrossRef
Schmitt, R. (2005). Systematic metaphor analysis as a method of qualitative research. The Qualitative Report, 10(2), 358–394.
Scott, W. (1995). Institutions and organizations. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Semino, E. (2008). Metaphor in discourse. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Semino, E., & Masci, M. (1996). Politics is football: Metaphor in the discourse of Silvio Berlusconi in Italy. Discourse and Society, 7(2), 243–269.CrossRef
Sklar, A., & Derevensky, J. L. (2010). Way to play: Analyzing gambling ads for their appeal to underage youth. Canadian Journal of Communication, 35(4), 533–554.
Sproston, K., Hanley, C., Brook, K., Hing, N., & Gainsbury, S. (2015). Marketing of sports betting and racing. Melbourne: Gambling Research Australia.
Thomas, S. L., Bestman, A., Pitt, H., Deans, E., Randle, M., Stoneham, M., et al. (2015). The marketing of wagering on social media: An analysis of promotional content on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. North Melbourne, VIC: Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation.
Thomas, S. L., Lewis, S., Duong, J., & McLeod, C. (2012a). Sports betting marketing during sporting events: A stadium and broadcast census of Australian Football League matches. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 36(2), 145–152.CrossRefPubMed
Thomas, S. L., Lewis, S., McLeod, C., & Haycock, J. (2012b). “They are working every angle”. A qualitative study of Australian adults’ attitudes towards, and interactions with, gambling industry marketing strategies. International Gambling Studies, 12, 111–127.CrossRef
Metadata
Title
Betting is Loving and Bettors are Predators: A Conceptual Metaphor Approach to Online Sports Betting Advertising
Authors
Hibai Lopez-Gonzalez
Frederic Guerrero-Solé
Ana Estévez
Mark Griffiths
Publication date
01-09-2018
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Journal of Gambling Studies / Issue 3/2018
Electronic ISSN: 1573-3602
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-017-9727-x

Other articles of this Issue 3/2018

Journal of Gambling Studies 3/2018 Go to the issue

Original Paper

Testing an Incentive-Sensitisation Approach to Understanding Problem Slot-Machine Gambling Using an Online Slot-Machine Simulation

Original Paper

The Relationship Between Exclusions from Gambling Arcades and Accessibility: Evidence from a Newly Introduced Exclusion Program in Hesse, Germany

Original Paper

Negative Mood States or Dysfunctional Cognitions: Their Independent and Interactional Effects in Influencing Severity of Gambling Among Chinese Problem Gamblers in Hong Kong

Original Paper

Daily Fantasy Football and Self-Reported Problem Behavior in the United States

Original Paper

Problem Gambling and Delinquent Behaviours Among Adolescents: A Scoping Review

Original Paper

Gambling and Sport: Implicit Association and Explicit Intention Among Underage Youth