Gambling advertisements in Australia have been focusing more on attracting female gamblers, prompting a new study of female gambling habits.
Samantha Thomas, an associate professor at Australia’s Deakin University, said the new ad campaigns are markedly different than previous male-oriented campaigns. Those campaigns portrayed women in “mostly decorative roles” or were “secondary characters in a male’s betting experience”, but now they are being featured as “protagonists,” she told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Deakin University researchers outlined several recent campaigns including ads from featuring Australian actor and model Nicky Whelan, and various other bookmakers’ female-focused Spring Racing Carnival promotions.
“Women are gambling on a more diverse range of gambling products, and we are also seeing that younger women have more positive views towards gambling,” Thomas said. “Our initial studies show they’re more socially accepting of gambling and say it’s something they do as part of a night out with friends.”
Researchers are preparing a new study to analyze whether advertising is making gambling seem more socially acceptable for young women, and why their attitudes towards some forms of gambling, such as sports-betting, may be changing, she said.
“While there has been a significant amount of research on young men and gambling, there is almost no research on the gambling behaviors of young women in Australia,” Thomas said. “We want to properly understand this behavior so we can develop strategies to help reduce and prevent gambling harm among young women.”
