Young people and their exposure to gambling marketing through media and sport on the island of Ireland:CRN - UCD CHilD-RC ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2024

Background:<br/>This study explored media use, sport consumption and perceptions of gambling-related harm amongst young people across the island of Ireland.<br/><br/>Aims and Objectives; <br/>This project aimed to understand how sports media consumption exposes young people across the island of Ireland to harmful communications from the gambling industry.<br/><br/>Research Design; <br/>This was a multi-phase study. Phase 1 involved focus groups with 70 young people aged 14-24 exploring their exposure, attitudes and understanding of gambling marketing. Phase 2 used a media content analysis of gambling marketing strategies across transnational live sports broadcasts on television and social media content to explore the quantity, source, and ways in which gambling marketing targets young people. Thematic analysis was used in both phases to organise the data and create themes.<br/><br/>Results<br/>Our findings demonstrate the strategic use of sport media by gambling operators to target youth to build brand awareness. Further we reveal an extremely high level of youth gambling exposure to commercial gambling messages and references, without sufficient counterbalancing messages as to risks and harms. <br/>