The impact of gambling advertising on young people: identification of their latent attitudes and perceptions

The rise in gambling in Spain, especially among young people aged 18 to 35, has been accompanied by a strong increase in gambling advertising, which promotes risky behaviours associated with gambling. This study analyses the perceptions and attitudes of this group towards betting and gambling advertising and their relationship with gambling intention. A CAWI survey was carried out with 936 young gamblers residing in Spain. The results revealed that 84% of participants perceived the influence of gambling operators’ advertising, identifying four latent factors related to their attitudes and perceptions: ‘credibility’, ‘lack of self-control and persuasive stimuli’, ‘knowledge’, and ‘conscience’. Three of these factors allow us to explain and predict the probability of perceiving advertising as driving gambling intention. Among the main contributions are the identification and quantification of the importance of the possible role that beliefs about advertising ethics play in the normalization of gambling and the influence of persuasive promotional and sports stimuli, indicating the emotional and cognitive influence of advertising messages, as well as the need for preventive policies based on empirical evidence. The reinforcement of media literacy regarding gambling and the review of regulatory frameworks are recommended to limit the most persuasive and normalizing content.