Gambling is a significant public health issue, particularly for our most at risk communities such as children and young people. Over the years there has been significant concern related to the impact that gambling marketing can have on the attitudes and behaviours of young people. This is not only due to the saturation of gambling marketing in our sporting and everyday environments but also because of the range of novel strategies that are being used (outside of traditional forms of advertising) to promote gambling brands, build positive associations, and normalise gambling. This seminar will use the findings from our predominately qualitative research to explore what children recall about the gambling marketing that they see and how this might influence their attitudes towards and risk perceptions of gambling. The seminar will conclude by sharing recommendations from young people on what needs to be done to address gambling marketing in Australia.
About the speaker
Dr Hannah Pitt is a VicHealth Research Fellow at the Institute for Health Transform at Deakin University. She is a qualitative public health researcher who completed her PhD in 2018, which explored the impact and influence of sports betting advertising on children. Since then, her research interests have included the normalisation of gambling and, more broadly, exploring the commercial determinants of health on children and young people.