Enhancing Media Sport Consumption: Online Gambling in European Football

Abstract

This article explores the intersections between sports bodies, media companies and gambling industries in European football. While betting, communication and sport have maintained an ongoing relationship for over two centuries, this article argues that the digitalisation of betting platforms has reconfigured the links between the traditional actors and created a new ‘online football betting ecology’. We elaborate on the intricate relationships of betting sites with top European football institutions via sponsorship, and on the role of the media, influencers and celebrities in the promotion of betting companies. An upbeat interpretation of this scenario stresses the enhancement of the act of consumption for football fans, transcending their traditional passive role as spectators. However, a more pessimistic vision points out that the economic dominance of the online gambling industry influences the way football competitions are run and endangers the integrity of the sport.

In-Play Betting, Sport Broadcasts, and Gambling Severity: A Survey Study of Spanish Sports Bettors on the Risks of Betting on Sport While Watching It

“…This situation has produced a dependency on gambling-origin money by means of sponsorship deals for competitions, media corporations, and even sport journalists (Bunn et al, 2019). The case of sports journalists in Spain is particularly troublesome, as one study found that among the top 10 sports writers in terms of number of followers on Twitter , all of them had in the past (or still had) gambling endorsements (Lopez-Gonzalez & Tulloch, 2015). The legalisation of online betting in the United States is very likely to similarly incentivise networks (and especially, ESPN ) to foster an in-play betting-friendly industry in their broadcasts, particularly considering their declining viewing rates (Deitsch, 2018).…”

Gambling and gambling problem among elite athletes and their professional coaches: findings from a Swedish total population survey of participants in four sports

“…The most obvious association between elite sport and gambling is seen in gambling advertising connected with sport events. The advertising revenues from regulated gambling companies have become a significant source of funding for the sports sector Lopez-Gonzalez & Tulloch, 2015;Milnes, 2018). In the UK, the dominant position of the gambling industry as sponsors, especially of football, has been critically discussed in recent years (Bunn et al, 2018;Lewanczik, 2019).…”

Marketing and Advertising Online Sports Betting: A Problem Gambling Perspective

“…If a user clicks on it and access the betting site, the newspaper as an affiliate marketer will get 30% of the money that user has lost betting (Affiliates United, 2014). To boost the number of users clicking on it, the paper publishes next to it a news article featuring Real Madrid on the eve of a match against Manchester United with the following headline: “Cristiano Ronaldo scored in 4 of his last 5 visits to Old Trafford.” Now, the journalist shares the link to that piece of news on Twitter , predicting a goal from Ronaldo, with a nonnegligible likelihood that he or she is in business with a betting company, according to what was found in a 2014 sample of the 10 most followed sports journalists in Spain (Lopez-Gonzalez & Tulloch, 2015). The tweet might be read by someone at home, or even in the stands of a stadium as the game is being played, in which case a betting company might have sponsored the installation of high-speed wi-fi connection to facilitate bets (Hills, 2014).…”