You’re not seeing things: if you’re a sports lover, you’re inundated with advertisements for sportsbooks and apps on TV and social media. It’s an enormous business, and it’s becoming bigger every day.
They’re sandwiched between Snapchat tales and Twitter feeds, sharing a television screen as Cade Cunningham tries a free shot. Advertisements for sports betting firms may be seen all over the media.
Despite the popularity of these commercials, advertising for firms like FanDuel, DraftKings, and BetMGM is still in its infancy. In the first quarter of 2019, sports betting businesses spent $10.7 million on local TV commercials in the United States. This increased to $154 million in 2021, and by 2024, it is predicted to exceed $550 million.
How Should These Ads be Viewed?
Dr. Teresa Mastin is a professor and chairman in the Department of Advertising and Public Relations at Michigan State University. She believes that advertisements for gambling enterprises should be seen in the same light as advertisements for cigarettes or alcohol.
Addiction is a significant factor for these drugs’ users. Gambling is no exception.
Despite the apparent shortcomings in this technique of emphasizing on the “highlights” of gambling, Mastin does not expect gambling commercials to change much in the future.
Julio Garza is a member of the target market that sports betting organizations are attempting to attract with their commercials. Garza is a 21-year-old Eastern Michigan University senior.
While watching his friend’s Snapchat tales, Garza spotted a recent ad for MGM Casino and Sportsbook.
“The very huge type reading ‘NEW USERS SPECIAL OFFER’ was the first thing that sprang to me when I saw this ad. Another thing I observed was that Jamie Foxx was promoting the commercial,” Garza said.
From 2015 to 2020, BMC Public Health did research on the “rapid rise of gambling advertising.” “Content, distribution, and structural aspects included inside new gambling advertising” were the focus of the research.
The research found that when sports betting becomes allowed in more jurisdictions, the amount of advertising grows more intense. As a consequence, there are more interactive adverts than most other kinds of advertising.
Promotional material is included within the adverts and shown to the audience directly. Garza sees these commercials on a daily basis and finds them highly appealing.
“I get a too good to be true sensation when I receive the promos in my inbox or see it on social media, and I don’t want to lose out on what I may win,” Garza said.
How Do These Ads Appeal?
Taliah Martinez is a creative advertising junior at Michigan State University. She compared sports gambling advertisements to more interactive versions of most cigarette and alcohol advertisements. Because of the media on which these advertisements are shown, Martinez says they remind her of “less unpleasant pop-up advertising.”
Martinez would make a modification to the way sports gambling advertisements function by making them more self-explanatory. She claims that she observes these advertisements and that she finds them appealing. Martinez, on the other hand, is hesitant to click on these adverts since she is unfamiliar with sports betting.
Gambling advertisements are a brand-new frontier. As sports betting becomes legal in more places, advertisers will have to adapt.
By a large percentage, the largest gaming businesses are now sending out the majority of the commercials. In Michigan, for example, the top five gaming corporations run 90% of the gambling advertisements.
As the gaming business expands, these statistics will shift dramatically. These businesses are taking advantage of the ripe situation in ways that are comparable to what other industries have done in the past, such as alcohol and cigarettes.
Last Updated on by Ryan
