The effect of television advertising on gambling behaviour: a quasi-experimental study during the 2022 Qatar FIFA World Cup

Using a pseudo-randomised quasi-experiment, this study found that television advertising significantly increased both the likelihood and frequency of betting during live football games in the sample studied. This raises concerns about the adequacy of current advertising restrictions in the UK and suggests that a policy which restricts television gambling advertising around live football might be an effective part of a wider public health strategy to tackle gambling-related harms. Future studies should replicate this design, using larger, more representative samples, to inform policy.