FOOTBALL fans are being “misled” by complex gambling adverts on television, a new study has found.
Behavioural scientist Dr Philip Newall, of Stirling University, analysed live-odds gambling adverts displayed during two months of televised English Premier League matches and found they were biased towards complex and highly specific bets.
The research, published in Addiction Research and Theory, found almost 60 per cent of televised bets involved a specific player scoring, while odds for a team to win with an exact scoreline were also popular.
Dr Newall, of Stirling Management School, said: “Live-odds TV gambling adverts that promote betting on specific, complex gambles during sporting events are becoming increasingly prominent in the UK.
“These types of bets are attractive to gamblers due to the high potential win. However, due to the vast number of potential outcomes, they are very difficult to rationally quantify and forecast and, as a result, result in significant average losses.”
Complex gambles were advertised most often and had the highest bookmaker profit margins. The study found that, as the complexity of the bet increased, football fans’ optimism grew, yet the odds became less fair.
During the two-month window, only a minority of adverts were based on simpler events that participants are more likely to correctly identify, such as “Manchester City to win”.
Dr Newall added: “Everyone, from die-hard football fans to novice gamblers, struggled to estimate the outcome of live-odd bets and may be underestimating the cost of these gambles.”
The gambling industry has spent £500 million on advertising since 2012 and takes in more than £13.6 billion a year from the public.
Dr Newall said: “At a minimum, an industry committed to promoting responsible gambling should disclose the average profit margin with all advertised football bets.
“Providing people with this information could help them become more sensitive to the risks of costly complex gambles.”
This research was funded by the Scottish Institute for Research in Economics and supported by the Campaign for Fairer Gambling.
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