Responsible gambling advertising: How to empower young adults to cope with digital advertising for online gambling?

Online gambling is a popular leisure activity among young adults; however, excessive gambling grows into an addition for an increasing number of people, leading to negative consequences such as financial debts and psychological problems. Advertising for gambling activities contributes to the social acceptance of gambling and is considered an important factor contributing to gambling participation. While there is currently no total ban on gambling adverting in Belgium, public health concerns are rising and discussions on adapting the gambling advertising legislation are ongoing. However, empirical evidence on young adults’ susceptibility to digital gambling advertising and how they can be empowered to resist this advertising is scarce. Therefore, this project will examine the role of self-control in young adults’ (18-30 years) susceptibility and resistance to digital gambling advertising, and proposes two underlying mechanisms explaining this relationship: persuasion knowledge and affective responses induced by the advertising. In addition, the moderating role of message framing will be taken into account. Moreover, we will investigate the impact of existing and new alertness labels on young adults’ persuasiveness to digital gambling advertising. Experimental research using eye-tracking technology will be conducted. The project will develop insights for public policy and regulatory bodies on the ethical and responsible use of digital gambling advertising.