@inproceedings{01JWZYVRASNB1G4ZEJ34042QZ3,
  abstract     = {{Globally, gambling marketing has become increasingly prevalent since sports betting’s legalization over the past few decades. The US has followed this liberalization path with the 2018 US Supreme Court’s ruling to permit states to legalize sports betting (Hill et al., 2020). Simultaneously, academics and practitioners raise concerns about sports betting harm, commercially driven by gambling marketing (Thomas et al., 2023). Exposure to gambling marketing is positively correlated with gambling attitudes, intentions, and behaviors (Bouguettaya et al., 2020). Recently, scholars have revealed a dose-response effect, indicating that the more people are exposed to gambling marketing, the more they gamble and the more gambling harm they experience (McGrane et al., 2023).

Gambling sport sponsorship is a popular gambling marketing form. Linking their brands with sport organizations and events, gambling companies establish a relationship with their customers, i.e., sport fans (De Jans et al., 2024). Research has suggested that mega sport events lead to a considerable increase in sports betting volumes, fueled by countless gambling sport sponsorship deals and ditto gambling marketing messages (Lopez-Gonzalez et al., 2020). However, our empirical knowledge of the influence of exposure to gambling marketing during such events and sports betting, and the underlying explanatory mechanisms remains limited. This present study therefore examined this relationship in soccer fans during the UEFA European Championships soccer (EURO 2024). 
Building on normalization theory, an online survey targeted Belgian soccer fans about their EURO 2024 (i) viewing behaviors, (ii) recall of gambling marketing, (iii) normative perceptions, and (iv) sports betting behaviors. The survey was launched the day after the EURO 2024 final, and dispersed via newspapers, diverse (social) media, and an online panel. In total, 1,611 records were retained for further analysis. 67% of our sample was male, while the average age was 41.53 years (SD=17.4). 56% was at least occasionally exposed to gambling marketing during EURO 2024, despite an extensive Belgian gambling marketing ban. Linear regression and mediation analyses showed a direct effect between gambling marketing exposure and EURO 2024 betting (B=.98, SE=.11, 95%-CI=[.77; 1.19], p<.01). Higher marketing exposure also led to higher normative perceptions (B=.63, SE=.03, 95%-CI=[.57; .70], p<.01), which increased the likelihood of EURO 2024 betting (B=.75, SE=.09, 95%-CI=[.58; .94], p<.01). Marketing exposure also had an effect on illusion of control (B=.36, SE=.03, 95%-CI=[.31; .41], p<.01), which had an effect on EURO 2024 betting (B=.26, SE=.11, 95%-CI=[.05; .46], p<.01).

This study contributes to the sport management literature, providing empirical and theory-informed support for the link between gambling marketing exposure during mega sport events and sports betting. Focusing on the underlying roles of normative perceptions and the illusion of control, this study adds a critical perspective on how gambling marketing might (mis)lead sports bettors. After all, research has repeatedly demonstrated that there is no relationship between sport expertise and sports betting success (Khazaal et al., 2012). Hence, this study adds a much-anticipated normalization lens to gambling marketing scholarship, thereby expanding the dominant sport management view that frames sports betting as an innocent leisure activity (Hing et al., 2023).}},
  author       = {{Constandt, Bram and Jacobs, Katho and Hartmann, Bram and De Jans, Steffi and Hudders, Liselot}},
  language     = {{und}},
  location     = {{San Diego}},
  publisher    = {{North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM)}},
  title        = {{Exploring the Normalization Link Between Gambling Marketing Exposure and Sports Betting During a Mega Sport Event: The Case of EURO 2024}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}