Commercial Gambling Advertising: Understanding the Youth Connection

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Commercial Gambling Advertising Understanding
the Youth Connection

• David Korn, MD, CAS, DTPH
• Jennifer Reynolds, PhDc
• The Public Health Gambling Project, University of
  Toronto
• Gambling and Social Responsibility Forum
• September 2, 2008
• Manchester Metropolitan University

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Financial Disclaimer Discloser Statement

• David Korn
• Ontario horse racing industry substance abuse
  policy
• Ontario provincial government gambling trend
  analysis
• Fort Erie Ontario municipal bingo policy
• Massachusetts evidence based gambling
  treatment guidelines
• Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation VLT project
• Expert gambling litigation cases
• Presenter numerous setting by invitation
• Past Board Member National Center For Responsible
  Gaming (no remuneration)
• Jennifer Reynolds
• Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation presentation
• No other financial interests related to gambling
  research, education or practice

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Acknowledgements

• Tim Hurson - Marketing Consultant
• Richard Earle - Advertising Consultant
• Ontario Problem Gambling Research Center (OPGRC)
  - Funder
• Toronto District School Board

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Outline

• Canadian gambling policy context from a public
  health perspective
• Advertising and youth research findings
• Future directions

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Canada Gambling Expansion

• Over 120,000 places to make a legal bet in
  Canada
• 38,051 VLTs
• 40,230 slot machines
• 32,785 lottery ticket centres
• 60 permanent casinos (7 provinces)
• 10,551 charitable bingo licenses
• 80 race tracks (22 with slot machines)
• 178 teletheatres (off track pari-mutuel betting)
• 
  Canadian Partnership for
  Responsible Gambling 2004

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Policy Framework Gambling in Canada

• 1892 - Gambling regulated under Federal Criminal
  Code of Canada
• 1969 - Provincial Governments could conduct
  lottery schemes license charitable
  religious groups to do so
• 1985 - Provinces given exclusive control over
  gambling as well as legalization of slot
  computer video devices (VLT)
• 1992 - Ontario passes the Gaming Control Act,
  the primary legislative framework for gambling in
  the province
• Gambling advertising for casinos embedded in
  legislation while lottery advertising excluded
  self-regulated

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CanadaNet Revenue - Government Run Gambling

• Lottery, VLT, Casino - Increase 2.7 to 9.0
  Billion
• Slots (outside casinos) - Increase 0 to 1.9
  Billion
• Horse Racing - Decrease 530 to 430 Million

Katherine Marshall, Statistics Canada,
Winter 2003
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• The enduring value of a public health
  perspective is
• that it applies different lenses for
  understanding gambling behavior, analyzing its
  benefits and costs,
• as well as identifying strategies for action.
• Harvey Skinner, Dean,
• Faculty of Health, York University
• Journal of Gambling
  Studies, 1999

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Gambling and Public Health

• Study of the distribution determinants of
  
  gambling-related health problems
• in a defined population
• and
• the organized public measures to
• prevent, eliminate or control
• its occurrence, spread and impact

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Determinants of Youth Problem Gambling
Youth Gambler
Advertising, Marketing Promotional Exposure
Money
Gambling Environment
Games of Chance
Adopted from Korn, D. Shaffer, H. (1999).
Gambling and the Health of the Public Adopting a
Public Health Perspective. Journal of Gambling
Studies, 15(4), 289-365.
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Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG)

• Crown corporation
• Responsible for commercial casinos, lotteries,
  and electronic gambling at racetracks
• Annual revenue of 6.359 Billion
• Contribution to provincial annual revenue
  approximately 6.5

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Ontario Lottery and Gaming Total Revenues vs.
Total Promotional, Marketing Advertising
Expenditures (2005-06)
 
Promotional Allowances 335M Marketing
Promotion 264M
Source Ontario Lottery Gaming Corporation,
Annual Report 2005-06
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Adolescent Gambling Prevalence

• Problem 3.9
• At-risk 8.9
• Combined 12.8

Source Responsible Gaming Council (2007) Teen
Gambling in Ontario Behaviours and Perceptions
Among 15-17 year-olds.
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Our Advertising Research Studies

• Commercial Gambling Advertising Possible Impact
  on Youth Knowledge, Attitudes, Beliefs and
  Behavioural Intentions
• David Korn, Tim Hurson Jennifer Reynolds
  Richard Earle
• Funded by Ontario Problem Gambling Research
  Centre (OPGRC)
• Commercial Gambling Advertising Understanding
  the Youth Connection
• David Korn, Tim Hurson Jennifer Reynolds
  Richard Earle
• Funded by OPGRC
• Gambling Marketing as Point-of-Sale
• David Korn, Joanna Cohen, Jennifer Reynolds, Anne
  Lavack Daniel Robinson
• Funded by OPGRC

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Commercial Gambling Advertising Understanding
the Youth Connection

• Research Question
• Does commercial gambling advertising influence
  the intention to gamble among youth in Ontario
  and, if so, in what manner?

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Methodology

• Stage One (Media Exposure)
• Identify placement and frequency of all
  commercial gambling advertisement products over
  winter quarter 2005
• Stage Two (In-depth Interviews)
• In-depth interviews with 20 youth (aged 13-17)
• Stage Three (Survey Questionnaire)
• Questionnaire to 1000 youth from 6 secondary
  schools across Greater Toronto Area

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Exposure Results Gambling Ad Placement (Winter
2005)
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Reference Standards used for Youth Advertising
Placement

• Canadian standards lacking
• Therefore study utilized
• US Federal Trade Commission recommends maximum of
  25 youth audience for alcohol advertising
  placement
• The Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth
  recommendations of 14

Source www.camy.org
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Television Total Youth Audience

• All programming showed between 5-11 pm

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Television Child Audience (-12 yrs)
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Television Adolescence Audience (12-17 yrs)
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Sports

• Hockey Night in Canada 41

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Results Stage Two

• Youth interviews
• Able to recall particular gambling ads, slogans
  and television plot lines
• Advertisements influential - gambling ads that
  are funny, cool or show financial gain are
  particularly attractive to youth
• Recommend actors in commercials do not look young

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Stage Three - Questionnaire

• Media/Advertising influences
• at-risk gamblers more likely to recall TV
  commercials
• problem gamblers more likely to recall newspaper
  or magazine advertising
• problem gamblers report more likely to purchase
  lottery, pro-line (sports) or instant scratch
  tickets if they have seen advertisements
• problem gamblers more likely to be influenced by
  name of game (i.e. monopoly, battleship, snakes
  ladders, etc)

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Stage Three - Questionnaire

• Other interesting findings
• 11.5 scored at-risk gamblers, while 6 scored
  at problem levels
• at-risk problem gamblers normalize gambling
  activity in essence, not a big deal
• problem gamblers had the highest average number
  of gambling misconceptions
• problem gamblers were twice as likely to feel
  they are slow learners and more likely to report
  being diagnosed with a learning disability
• Problem gamblers more likely to report having a
  part-time job

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Future Directions

• Research
• Extend our understanding of problem gambling in
  youth with co-occurring conditions
• Examine media/advertising impacts on 19-24 yrs
• Study advertising and neuroimaging amongst youth
• Policy
• Establish gambling industry-wide
  guidelines/regulations for all commercial
  gambling advertising and promotions that impact
  youth.
• Develop clear and concise numeric commercial
  gambling advertising placement standards.
• Host a forum amongst key stakeholders to discuss
  findings implications
• Practice
• Strengthen youth media literacy initiatives
• Discontinue the development of lottery products
  associated with well-known childrens games
• Intensify enforcement of lottery point-of-sale
  age prohibitions

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• Everything should be made as simple as possible,
  but not one bit simpler.
• Albert Einstein

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• The Public Health Gambling Project
• Dalla Lana School of Public Health
• David Korn
• david.korn_at_utoronto.ca
• Jennifer Reynolds
• jennifer.reynolds_at_utoronto.ca

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Canada Profit From Government Run Gambling

• Net profit - gambling 6.02 billion
• VS.
• Net profit - alcohol tobacco combined sales
  5.9 billion
• 
  Katherine Marshall, Statistics Canada,
  June 2004

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Factors Driving Gambling Expansion

• Revenue
• Provincial financial needs facilitated through
  public policy, enabling legislation venue
  expansion
• Technology
• VLT/EGM, Internet, TV
• Economic Growth
• Local community development
• Demand
• Advertising, marketing media exposure

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Public Opinion

• Gambling - relatively harmless form of
  entertainment
• Politically popular strategy for government
  revenue without tax increase
• Gambling Addiction - psychiatric disorder that
  can be treated by addiction mental health
  specialists

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Results Stage Two

• Key informants interviews
• had considerable understanding of the prevalence
  and severity of gambling problems
• felt advertising normalizes gambling
• felt that media and advertising influence young
  people to gamble
• were unaware of gambling regulations for
  advertising
• able to recall one social marketing campaign

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Television Series

• Most programming exists between 5-11 pm