Direct messages received from wagering operators

Wagering operators frequently send direct promotional messages to their account-holders via text messages, emails and phone calls. However, very little research has examined this type of push marketing, and its features and influence are largely unknown. Early results from a large study on the Effects of wagering marketing on vulnerable adults (Hing, Russell, Rockloff et al., 2018) identified direct messaging as a widely used and highly influential form of wagering advertising. The Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation (VRGF) therefore commissioned this more focused study on direct messaging as a small extension to the larger study. It commenced about 16 months later than the larger two-year study, and was conducted over five months from September 2017. It therefore represents a small component of the larger study, albeit presented in a separate report. Given the lack of prior research into direct messaging, the study was exploratory and descriptive in nature, and was guided by the following research questions developed in consultation with the VRGF: 1. What volume and types of direct messages are received by wagering account-holders in the lead-up to major sport and racing events? 2. What is the content of the direct messages, and to what extent do they contain inducements to bet? 3. Are the volume, types, and content of direct messages received related to the previous betting behaviour of account-holders? 4. Are the volume, types, and content of direct messages received related to the subsequent betting behaviour of account-holders? 5. How might these direct messages contribute to gambling-related harm and gambling problems?