Gambling ads “significantly” boosted betting during the 2022 World Cup

Television gambling advertising “significantly increased” betting activity during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, new research from the University of Sheffield suggests.

The study, published in *Addictive Behavior Reports*, found that participants were 22–33% more likely to place a bet and bet more frequently (up by 16–24%) when they watched on a channel that carried gambling adverts. Based on these findings, the authors argue the UK’s current limits on gambling advertising may not be sufficient.

In an article published by Sheffield on Phys.org, lead author and research associate **Ellen McGrane** expanded on the results.

“These television ads may be acting as powerful triggers during live games, encouraging betting even among people who had no prior intention to gamble.”

Notably, gambling advertising in the UK is already subject to the “whistle-to-whistle” ban. The rule restricts betting adverts to the pre- and post-match periods. From five minutes before kick-off until five minutes after the final whistle, the only gambling advertising allowed is for lottery and bingo.

That’s not the case in the US, where advertising rules are set by individual states and are often less strict. That contrast is especially relevant given the growing prominence of sports-focused prediction markets, which commonly operate (and promote themselves) outside the boundaries of state regulation.

Ads shown to increase overall gambling activity

As the researchers note, earlier studies have identified gambling adverts as a common reason for opening a sports betting account, a prompt to gamble, and a driver of craving.

Their goal with this study was to “fill an important evidence gap” by testing causality in a real-world setting.

More specifically, they set out to answer this question:

“Are more football bets placed during the match (‘in-play’) when a live game is broadcast on ITV (television gambling adverts) compared to BBC (no television gambling adverts)?”

To do this, researchers approached 1,000 potential participants and selected 400 men aged 18–45 who reported the highest frequency of football [soccer] gambling. In total, 396 people gave consent and completed the baseline survey before the study began.

Of those, 92% completed the daily betting surveys, producing a final sample of 365.

“One of our key findings,” said McGrane, “was that this advertising doesn’t simply shift people between betting platforms; it increases the overall amount of gambling taking place.”

Although the sample was not representative, the authors maintain that the study’s “rigorous causal design” still provides useful insights for policymakers.

As stated in the article:

“Although current UK industry-led limits on television advertising have reduced the

Frequency of such advertising during the restricted (‘whistle-to-whistle’) period, these findings demonstrate a short-term behavioural response to television advertising, highlighting potential shortcomings of the restrictions, particularly for the higher-risk groups included in the sample.”

Stricter rules could reduce harm

As with many studies, the authors highlight several limitations, including restricted generalisability and the possibility of recall bias.

Still, McGrane reiterated that the study’s results indicate that further advertising restrictions may be necessary to adequately protect public health.

“A substantial body of evidence shows that when gambling participation rises at a population level, gambling-related harm also increases, suggesting that the current restrictions in place may not be effective enough.

Despite the scale of this issue, advertising rules are not being strengthened. Stricter regulation of gambling advertising during live sport may be needed, particularly ahead of widely televised events such as the World Cup, to better protect those most at risk.”