Commercial Gambling Advertising: Understanding the Youth Connection Principal Investigator: David Korn, MD, CAS (University of Toronto) Project Coordinator: Jennifer Reynolds, M.Ed (University of Toronto) Marketing Expert: Tim Hurson Final report submitted to the Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in this final report are those of the investigator(s), and do not necessarily represent the views of the Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre (OPGRC). 2 Table of Contents Executive Summary ....................................................................................................... 3 Introduction .................................................................................................................... .5 Literature Review........................................................................................................... 6 Research Design ............................................................................................................. 9 Research Goals................................................................................................... 9 Methodology ...................................................................................................... 9 Instruments ......................................................................................................... 11 Results ............................................................................................................................ 12 Discussion ...................................................................................................................... 54 Limitations……………………………………………………………………………...55 Recommendations .......................................................................................................... 56 Summary ........................................................................................................................ 58 References ...................................................................................................................... 59 Appendices ..................................................................................................................... 63 Appendix A (youth interview questions) ........................................................... 63 Appendix B (key informant interview questions) .............................................. 67 Appendix C (self administered questionnaire) .................................................. 71 Appendix D (frequency tables) .......................................................................... 91 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Introduction Today’s gambling environment can be characterized by continued expansion that in part has led to a climate in which gambling is largely seen by the young as normal, reasonable, and fun. Alongside this continued expansion has been the incessant increase in money allocated towards commercial gambling advertising and promotions. Commercial gambling advertising is ubiquitous and refers to advertising that promotes publicly sanctioned gambling and its products to consumers. The pervasiveness of this environment virtually ensures that youth will be exposed to it in the course of their daily lives. However, little attention has been paid to the potential impact of advertising on youths’ behavioural intentions, knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs. This study represents the second phase of a strategic initiative to better understand the influence of exposure to commercial gambling advertising on young people, ages 13-17. Our first phase study, funded by the Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre, was exploratory in design and warranted further study in this important area. The purpose of this research was to: 1) document the exposure of youth to all commercial gambling advertising through identifying their placement and frequency over a period of time, 2) extend our understanding of the potential impact of commercial gambling advertising on youth through the use of in-depth interviews, and 3) utilize for the first time a quantitative survey to determine the influence of commercial gambling advertising on the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours of youth. Methods A three-stage approach, utilizing a mixed method design, was used in this study to further examine the impact of commercial gambling advertising on youths’ knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and behavioural intentions. First, the occurrence of commercial gambling advertisements in all media was documented and analyzed over the winter quarter of 2005 to determine placement and frequency of ads. During the second phase, in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 youth along the gambling continuum (i.e., non-, moderate, at-risk, and problem gamblers), from across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), and 9 key informants from various gambling and non-gambling related organizations. Finally, a self-administered questionnaire was delivered to over 1033 youth, from 6 secondary schools across the GTA. Results The findings of this study clearly illustrate that commercial gambling advertising does influence youths’ gambling attitudes knowledge, beliefs, and behavioural intentions. Key findings from this study include: • Young people have been “overexposed” to commercial gambling advertisements during several youth popular television shows; 4 • Youth were able to remember specific gambling advertisements, slogans and jingles, as well as recall particular television gambling plot lines; • Many youth and key informants felt that commercial gambling advertising does have an impact on youths’ gambling attitudes, beliefs, knowledge, and behavioural intentions; • Youth problem gamblers reported being more likely to purchase lottery, Pro-Line or instant-scratch tickets if they had seen an advertisement for it; • Youth problem gamblers appeared to be significantly more likely to be influenced by the name of the game when playing lottery products; • Youth problem gamblers were twice to as likely to feel that they were slow learners and were more likely to report being diagnosed with a learning disability Results are intended to inform health professionals and public policy makers on the possible effects of adult-focused commercial gambling advertising youth and highlight the need for further research in this area. Future Directions As a result of our findings, several recommendations are suggested for future research, policy and practice: Research • Further explore the impact of commercial gambling advertising and promotions on youth. • Extend our understanding of problem gambling in youth with co-occurring conditions. • Broaden the scope of inquiry to include point-of-sale promotions, Internet marketing, sports sponsorship and commercial gambling advertising. Policy • Establish common guiding principles for all commercial gambling advertising and promotions that impact youth. • Develop clear and concise numeric commercial gambling advertising placement standards. Practice • Strengthen youth media literacy initiatives. • Intensify enforcement of lottery point-of-sale age prohibitions. • Discontinue the development of lottery products associated with well-known children’s games (e.g., Battleship and Monopoly). 5 INTRODUCTION Commercial gambling advertising is ubiquitous. The pervasiveness of this environment virtually ensures that youth will be exposed to it in the course of their daily lives. However, little attention has been paid to the potential impact of advertising on youths’ behavioural intentions, knowledge, attitudes and beliefs. In Ontario, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation spends almost 10% of its net revenue on gambling marketing and promotion, slightly more than one-quarter of a billion dollars a year (OLG, 2005). Commercial gambling advertising refers to advertising that promotes publicly sanctioned legal gambling to consumers. Youth spend a large amount of time exposed to a combination of media. Undoubtedly, this exposure affects their choices and may influence their risk-taking behaviour. This study builds on our findings from our study entitled: Commercial Gambling Advertising: Possible Impact on Youth Knowledge, Attitudes, Beliefs and Behavioural Intentions, funded by the Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre. As the first study in Canada to explore this important issue, youth in our study indicated that they considered gambling a normal behaviour and saw lotteries as the dominant form of legal gambling. Most intended to gamble in the foreseeable future, despite acknowledged risks, viewed legal gambling prohibitions as only marginally relevant, believed that gambling risks were more significant for their younger peers, and felt that the lottery advertisements were preparing them to gamble for when they come of age (Korn, 2005). During the course of our first exploratory study examining commercial gambling advertising and youth, it was discovered that the Gaming Control Act and Regulations only apply to casino-type facilities that offer table games and slot machines (Gaming Control Act, 1992). Lotteries and other legal forms of gambling are not covered in legislation. As a result of that research, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation developed a set of internal advertising and marketing standards (OLC, 2005). With respect to minor, internal standards, they state that all advertising and marketing materials must not: 1) feature in primary roles of individuals who are, or appear to be, minors to promote gaming; 2) appear in media directed primarily to minors, or