Trustworthiness of responsible gambling ads: How sponsor type and message framing affect emerging adults who sports bet
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Sports betting is a common activity for emerging adults (ages 18-29) and is associated with financial harm, academic decline, and psychological distress. Responsible gambling (RG) messages aim to mitigate such harms, but generic slogans like "gamble responsibly" often lack actionable guidance and credibility, particularly when sponsored by gambling operators. Drawing from Cialdini's theoretical framework of persuasion, this study experimentally examined how RG advertisement message framing (generic vs. self-appraisal) and sponsor type (sportsbook vs. State Department of Health) influenced perceived trust in the advertisement, behavioral intentions, and gambling desire among emerging adult sports bettors. METHOD: A total of 255 crowdsourced participants (Mage = 24.77; 47.8% men, 48.2% women) were randomly assigned to view one of four 20-s RG video advertisements varying by sponsor type and framing. Measures included perceived trustworthiness, personal responsibility toward RG, intentions to sports bet and engage in RG, and gambling desire. RESULTS: Sponsor type significantly influenced the perceived trustworthiness of the advertisement, with Department of Health-sponsored ads rated as more trustworthy than sportsbook-sponsored ads. There was no significant interaction between sponsor type and message framing, and message framing did not significantly influence trust. Additionally, neither sponsor type nor framing significantly affected personal responsibility toward RG, intentions to sports bet or engage in RG, or gambling desire. CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate that while Department of Health advertisements enhance perceived trustworthiness, these effects did not translate into changes in behavioral intentions or gambling desire. Results highlight the importance of message source within RG communications. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
Publication Title
Psychology of Addictive Behaviors Journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors
Recommended Citation
Dow, C., Hewage, G., Ginley, M., Whelan, J., & Pfund, R. (2026). Trustworthiness of responsible gambling ads: How sponsor type and message framing affect emerging adults who sports bet. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors Journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors, 40 (6), 672-682. https://doi.org/10.1037/adb0001177
