Institute for Health Transformation, School of Health and Social Development, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Gheringhap St, Geelong, Australia.
Centre for Sport Research, School of Exercise & Nutrition Sciences, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Gheringhap St, Geelong, Australia.
BMC Public Health. 2022 Apr 30;22(1):867. doi: 10.1186/s12889-022-13164-2.
Gambling is an inherently risky activity. New technologies have led to the development of new, online forms of gambling such as sports betting, with round the clock availability and accessibility. While young men have been identified as a group that may be particularly vulnerable to the harms associated with these new online products, few studies have qualitatively explored young men's perceptions of the risks associated with these products. Using concepts associated with the sociology of risk, this paper sought to explore the range of factors that may influence how 18-24 year old young Australian men conceptualise the risks associated with sports betting.
Using a critical qualitative inquiry approach, in-depth interviews were conducted with sixteen participants in Victoria, Australia, who engaged in sports betting at least monthly. The data interpreted for this study included questions relating to awareness of gambling, the contexts associated with early gambling experiences; the factors that influenced current gambling behaviours, and why they engaged in gambling. A reflexive approach to thematic analysis was used to interpreted themes from the data.
Four key themes were constructed from the data relating to the factors that influenced risk perceptions. These included: 1) 'The role of early experiences', including exposure to gambling advertising in sport, and the gambling behaviours of social networks; 2) 'The influence of peer rivalry and competition', in which sports betting was used to form connections within and across peer groups; 3) 'The normalisation of gambling', including the embedding of gambling in everyday activities; and 4) 'The influence of perceptions of knowledge, skill, and control', including the belief that they could engage in responsible behaviours and stop gambling if they needed to.
This study indicated that a range of factors may influence how young men conceptualise the risks and benefits associated with sports betting. Current public health strategies for gambling that focus on individual determinants and responsibility paradigms must be broadened to target the social and commercial factors that influence young men's attitudes towards, and engagement in sports betting.
赌博是一种固有风险的活动。新技术催生了新的在线赌博形式，如体育博彩，这些赌博形式 24 小时随时随地都可参与。虽然已经确定年轻男性是可能特别容易受到这些新的在线产品相关危害影响的群体之一，但很少有研究从定性角度探讨年轻男性对这些产品相关风险的看法。本文利用与风险社会学相关的概念，试图探讨可能影响 18-24 岁澳大利亚年轻男性对体育博彩相关风险看法的各种因素。
采用批判性定性探究方法，在澳大利亚维多利亚州对 16 名至少每月进行一次体育博彩的参与者进行了深入访谈。这项研究分析的资料包括与对赌博的认识、与早期赌博经历相关的背景；影响当前赌博行为的因素以及他们为何参与赌博有关的问题。采用反思性主题分析方法来解释资料中的主题。
从与影响风险认知的因素相关的数据中构建了四个关键主题。这些主题包括：1）“早期经验的作用”，包括在体育运动中接触赌博广告以及社交网络中的赌博行为；2）“同伴竞争和竞争的影响”，其中体育博彩用于在同伴群体内部和群体之间建立联系；3）“赌博的常态化”，包括将赌博融入日常活动中；4）“对知识、技能和控制的看法的影响”，包括相信他们可以采取负责任的行为并在需要时停止赌博。
本研究表明，一系列因素可能会影响年轻男性对体育博彩相关风险和收益的看法。目前以个人决定因素和责任范式为重点的赌博公共卫生策略必须扩大范围，以针对影响年轻男性对体育博彩的态度和参与的社会和商业因素。
