Research Paper on Gambling in Sports: Study of Exposure & Intention

Introduction

Gambling in sports is a concept that is on the rise due to the advancement in technology and easiness of accessing the internet. A significant number of people are earning a living in this sector. Various scholars have condemned the gambling process due to the adverse effects that arise from the act. However, many sectors of the economy have benefited by relying on this field.

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Rise of Gambling in Sports: Technological Advancements and Accessibility

According to Sports-Embedded Gambling Promotions: A Study of Exposure, Sports Betting Intention and Problem Gambling Amongst Adults, different stakeholder have raised their concerns on gambling in sports. The media and the government agencies are considering the promotion of sports betting that happens during televised sport games (Hing, Lamont, Vitartas, & Fink, 2015). The author states that a significant number of people are exposed to these adverts though research on their effects on them is not adequate. The audiences that are exposed to these advertisements are likely to become problem gamblers, and their behavior has worsened with time. A good number of them have fallen into debts and conflicts with their family members. The author states that there is a need to have measures that will solve the problems that they are experiencing.

Adverse Consequences: Problem Gambling and its Impact on Individuals

Based on the details highlighted in the Dimensions of Problem Gambling Behavior Associated with Purchasing Sports Lottery, problem gambling is a disruptive behavior that causes undesirable issues a person's lives and those around them. The theory consisted of a study in China to determine the effect of the activity on human life. It was noted that a significant number of people are affected by compulsive disorder and depression, which is an indication that gambling has many adverse effects, and it should be avoided all the time (Li, Mao, Zhang, Wu, Li, & Chen, 2012). It triggers the existence of over-expectation factors as gamblers beliefs that they are going to win handsomely, which in a number of cases never happens. When they lose their bet, money is lost, and this is what drives them to depression. Most of the gamblers are people with financial difficulties, and they are trying to get a financial breakthrough by gambling (Martin, Nelson, & Gallucci, 2016). Therefore, when they lose money, they are likely to fall ill from the effects of losing the only money they owned. A misperceived and exaggerated winning belief is what drives many of them to continue gambling despite experiencing losses in the past.

Gordon et al. (2015) states that a significant number of people are unable to resist the gambling urge, and this is driving them to emotional and perianal trauma. The gambling process affected by the social position that is taken by people in a society. Sports betting is considered a lifestyle in many societies, and it has been accepted though there are restrictions, such as the age of the people that can engage in betting. It is used as a way of facilitating leisure practices, and social interactions, and significant marketing efforts are directed towards the popularization of the betting process (Gordon, Gurrieri, & Chapman, 2015). However, some of the behaviors portrayed by people involved in betting, such as nudism and Paleolithic diet, are against a society's cultural norms. The authors manage to highlight the various problems that arise from the gambling process. When the social motives for gambling become the act of loyalty, and for competition purposes, it becomes impossible to manage the harms that are triggered by the gambling process. The authors recommended the following of holistic approaches that will help to manage the gambling problems.

Internet Gambling: Changing Dynamics and Growing Adverse Effects

According to the information highlighted in the Marketing and advertising online sports betting: A problem gambling perspective, gambling disorders are on the rise. The gambling process has changed over the years with the gambling that happened before the spread of the internet, considered to have less adverse effects on human life. The betting process was considered as social in nature, and it took time before the gamblers managed to get the results on their betting process. Therefore, it was not common to encounter the excessive risks that were related to the gambling process. In the past, gambling in sports was used as a social activity to pass the time and make people busy (Lopez-Gonzalez, Estevez, & Griffiths, 2017). However, with the advancement in technology and easiness of accessing the internet, people are relying on gambling to make a living. Due to the addiction problem, a significant number of them are using funds for other basic activities, such as food, clothing, and shelter to engage in gambling, and this is what is triggering the prevailing problems like depression and suicide. Therefore, gambling in sports has many adverse effects in comparison to the benefits it is generating, and authorities around the world are instituting measures to manage gambling in sports to help manage cases of misuse of funds and suicides.

According to an article titled Examining the Structural Relationships Among Gambling Motivation, Passion, and Consequences of Internet Sports Betting, internet gambling is on the rise, and this is supported by easy internet access. New gambling controversies are arising, and there is an increase in adverse effects on problem gambling. However, a significant number of scholars do not view gambling in sports as having many adverse effects in society. They claim that it is harmless though there is a group of people that feel that engaging in this activity is leading to an unhealthy obsession. Therefore, according to the authors of this article, gambling in sports can have both negative and positive effects to people that engage in the practice (Lee, Chung, & Bernhard, 2014). The authors claim that there are intrinsic gambling motivations, which are the escape, excitement, and challenges that were triggered by the passion. Gambling is used to reduce stress and get comfortable, especially when the motivation is not to make money but rather to pass-time and enjoy the good feeling of winning. In this case, even when an individual does not win, they do not feel guilty or get depressed. The case is different when the motivation is to make money that is expected to be used in realizing basic elements in life. The extrinsic motivations to gambling were triggered by the obsession to engage in the betting activities, and it often leads to adverse issues arising (Kabiri, Shadmanfaat, Winterdyk, Smith, & O'Dwyer, 2019). The desire to make money most of the time makes people feel guilty and with anxiety when they fail to earn the desired figures. Therefore, people engaging in sports gambling for different reasons, and this is what explains the way they respond when they lose.

Unrealistic Outcome Expectations and the Role of Advertising

According to Stewart et al. (2014), outcome expectations are one of the reasons that lead to addictive behaviors in human beings. Gambling advertisements are blamed for raising the level of expectations, considering that they only show the winning part and the happiness that is generated from within when an individual wins. It creates the notion that there is only one outcome when a person engages in sports betting, and this is to win. However, these advertisements do not show that there is a chance of losing a bet and the likely outcomes in a person's life when they lose (Stewart, Yi, & Stewart, 2014). Therefore, when people are engaging in gambling, their mind is only tuned that they will win, and this is what causes devastating effects when they fail to achieve their desired outcome.

Gambling Disorders and Social Impacts of Sports Betting

According to Lopez-Gonzalez et al. (2019), some of the effects that are generated from sports betting is gambling disorders. A good number of these people identify that they have a problem, they seek for help, and this assists them to recover. The problem of gambling affects the gamblers, the people around them, such as close friends and family members, and the society in general, considering that they live in a given community. The social environment that the gamblers dwell is also adversely affected, and this may affect their behaviors and attitudes (Lopez-Gonzalez, Estevez, & Griffiths, 2019). The social perception in a society is a shared construct that affects the way that people interact and behave. The gamblers' self-esteem may be damaged after engaging in the practice, and it may sometimes make it impossible to know the problems that they are experiencing at an early stage. In many cases, the sports gamblers are often described as being anti-social, untrustworthy, and irrational, and these are statements that show that they are not people that are productive in society.

Transmission of Gambling Behavior: Parental Influence on Adolescents

According to Lottery Gambling: A Review, parents that are engaging in betting behaviors are likely to pass it to their children. Considering that the adolescents' decision-making process is inhibited, for they are not in a position to make informed decisions, their lives are likely to be adversely affected. The authors' state that the lottery gambling that is noted in adolescents is attributed to their guardians. The gambling problems among college students are more among the learners from families that are engaging in gambling. The study states that there is a high correlation level between parents buying scratch cards and their parents buying the same items (Ariyabuddhiphongs, 2011). The young gamblers have cognitive biases, and they hold the conceptions that are related to probability laws and luck beliefs just like adults. They have beliefs that gambling is a good idea and they associate it with excitement, winning money, and socialization. Therefore, it is clear that sport gimbaling is not an activity that should be advocated in society, considering that it has many adverse effects.

Balancing Economic Growth and Social Responsibility in Sports Gambling

Sport gimbaling is often associated with negative effects in society, but it is crucial to note that it helps in building an economy. It is one of the strategies that can be used in increasing the level of consumer spending and provide a government with taxes that are used in financing various projects and development activities. Additionally, sports betting helps in the growth of other industries, such as transport, communication, printing, advertising sector, and finance. They are all part of the gambling activities since the betting material needs to be printed while the public is made aware of the gambling process through advertisements and media platforms (Li, Zhang, Mao, & Min, 2012). Employees in the gambling industry earn a living through the activity and manage to support economy growth. China is one of the countries in the world that have managed to enjoy significant benefits from the betting process.

Conclusion

Advertising is often criticized as one of the various problems generated by gambling on sports. However, through responsible marketing and advertising, it is possible to manage these issues and ensure that the betting process is helpful to society. Advertising mainly focuses on the winning benefits without consideration of the risks that it poses to society. Therefore, if responsible advertising is adopted, there is a high chance that the number of depression and stress cases can be minimized. Gambling can revert to generating positive impacts rather than causing chaos. There is a need to ensure that the adverts are placed in platforms that do not expose children to the vice (Parke, Harris, Parke, Rigbye, & Blaszczynski, 2014). Additionally, it should highlight the negative effects of engaging in the vice to ensure that there is responsible gambling on society. Before people start betting, they should be notified about the negative outcomes that are likely to arise when they fail to win (Feld, 2020).