Youth Oriented Advertising in Ireland’s National Lottery: A Quantitative Content Analysis of Advertisements

Background: Gambling on the National Lottery in Ireland peaked recently at an annual gross spend of over €1 billion. There is ample evidence of underage participation in the lotto. Youth participation in gambling is associated with problematic gambling in adulthood. A recent examination of the National Lottery’s website identified child-friendly Halloween themed advertising. Objectives: This research sought to investigate National Lottery advertisements to identify potentially child and youth-oriented marketing. Methods: Quantitative content analysis of 127 video advertisements hosted on the National Lottery YouTube website were examined, using a pre-constructed six item framework. Results: There was evidence relating to three of the six categories of content examined. In total 21.3% (n=27) of the videos examined made direct use of signs, symbols, themes, drawings, fictitious characters, or real people of primary or particular appeal to children. A total of 6.3% (n=8) of the videos examined included children, while 0.8% (n=1) featured adolescent, juvenile, or loutish behaviour. Conclusions: Child-friendly marketing is present in National Lottery advertising. A more robust assessment of all National Lottery marketing materials is required. The Gambling Regulation Act, 2024, should be extended to oversee all gambling in Ireland, including the National Lottery. A public health approach to gambling is required across all state agencies and the Government.