Gambling advertisements in Ontario: exploring the prevalence and regulatory compliance of televised and social media marketing during sports matches

This paper reports the results of two studies into the prevalence of gambling advertisements exposed during five NHL and two NBA matches broadcast in Ontario, and the social media advertisements posted by ten Ontario-licensed gambling operators on X/Twitter between the 25th and the 29th of October 2023. The studies found a total of 4,119 gambling messages, consisting of 3,537 television-based gambling references and 582 X/Twitter advertisements. Just over half of the television-based references (50.4%) appeared on the playing surface, while references were visible for 21.7% of the entire duration of broadcasts. Despite this high volume of advertising, none of the references breached Ontario-based standards. The X/Twitter advertisements generated 5,687,087 views while featuring mostly males (78.5%) and individuals aged between 25 and 34 (50.5%). Just under half (48.5%) were identified as content marketing, which were found to be breaching advertising standards by concealing the fact that they were advertisements. The studies were observational, and caution should be taken when interpreting the findings against possible impact on behavior. Nonetheless, the findings highlight the need for the further development of standards to ensure the protection of audiences against a high volume of marketing that risks the possible normalization of gambling within sport.