Gambling companies are reaching men on social media at more than double the rate of women, according to new research published this morning by UK and Irish researchers.
The authors analysed 411 advertisements from 88 licensed gambling operators in Ireland, and found that young men were reached 2.3 times more than women across Meta platforms, even if the ads were not directly targeting men.
The All Ireland SMC asked local experts to comment.
The All Ireland SMC asked local experts to comment on the research and implications for policy in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Dr Frank Houghton, Principal Investigator of the Tobacco, Alcohol & Gambling, Research Group, Technological University of the Shannon, comments:
“This new research by Petrovskaya and her colleagues is to be welcomed. The figures are startling. To think that one single ad from Betfair reached 1.32 million unique accounts in Ireland is serious cause for concern. Recent research indicates that Ireland has approximately 130,000 problem gamblers, with another 270,000 plus people exhibiting some gambling issues. The more gambling ads a person sees the more likely they are to gamble, it’s not rocket science.
“The implications of this research are important. Firstly, we need to roll out the advertising controls contained in the Gambling Regulation Act as quickly as possible. We don’t want a situation like alcohol advertising controls, where we are still waiting to implement some sections of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act, 2018 almost a decade later.
“Secondly, my concerns turn to potential underage gamblers who may be using false accounts, and are also likely to be subject to such advertising, especially under-age males. We know from recent research that the National Lottery’s age verification procedures proved inadequate in more than 50% of cases. I wonder how good the age- verification systems for these operators are?
“Finally, I would be very interested to see similar research conducted on Ireland’s National Lottery. Having examined the methodology of this research in-depth the official National Lottery appears to have been excluded. I would love to see some follow on research examining their audience targeting and sector penetration.”
Declaration of interest: Frank is a gambling control researcher and declares no conflicts of interest. He has never accepted payment, or payment in kind, for any gambling (including the Lotto) related research.
Professor Colin O’Gara, Clinical Professor, School of Medicine, University College Dublin & Head of Addiction Services at St. John of God Hospital, comments;
“In my view, we have a real problem with the proliferation and normalization of gambling among young men, driven in large part by advertising. Over the past two decades, this has been dominated by largely one-sided, heavily promoted, celebrity-endorsed campaigns.
“We have to take gambling advertising incredibly seriously. For those who already have a gambling problem, it disproportionately affects them and can trigger relapse. For those who are vulnerable, it can drive initiation. It is a key engine of harm, and if we are serious about tackling gambling harm, advertising has to be at the top of the agenda.
“The difficulty is that the online space is particularly hard to regulate. That’s why defining it and gathering meaningful data is so important. This study is welcome in that regard: it uses a novel, compelling method to access advertising data and understand its reach.
“We argued many years ago—back in 2019 in the Irish College of Psychiatrists’ position paper—that there should be an outright ban on gambling advertising, rather than relying on a watershed that bans it on TV and radio before 9pm. The reality is that not all children are going to bed by then, and most children in Ireland have smartphones from around the age of 12 and are being exposed to these ads online.
“With the current legislation, a new commission has been established, the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI). The question is whether it is set up to handle this kind of challenge, and whether the legislation underpinning it goes far enough. In the past, I have commented that this is a huge task, particularly when you consider regulation of the online space. The GRAI will have responsibility across the board, including online, and this highlights the need for significant resourcing. It will require substantial support in terms of technical expertise and investment.”
Declarations of interest: “no conflicts to declare”
Dr Paul Kitchin, Senior Lecturer. School of Sport & Exercise Science, Ulster University, comments:
“This research highlights what we know globally: young men under 35 are the main target for gambling operators, who use various communication techniques to promote their brands and products. Extending this focus to young men in Ireland, the team contributes to the growing body of research on gambling marketing via social media across the island.
“This research is important because it sets a baseline for social media advertising reach across Ireland. When combined with nationwide data, it shows that gambling-related harm is prevalent among this age group in both the north and south. With mobile phones and social media being everywhere, young men facing harm are easily connected to gambling operators’ offers of quick money. These messages often ignore the risks, and international studies confirm that gamblers lack control when betting.
“The establishment of the Gambling Regulatory Authority Ireland in the Republic of Ireland will enable it to evaluate how regulatory changes affect the volume and types of marketing communications. Sadly, for those facing gambling harm in the North, the ongoing absence of effective legislation and no regulator could lead to very different future options for young men across the shared island.”
Declaration of interest: No conflicts of interest except that I have worked previously on funding grants with one of the authors of the study.
Dr Deepak Padmanabhan, Senior Lecturer in Computer Science, Queen’s University Belfast, comments:
“The published paper is an excellent example of how the EU Digital Services Act can be leveraged to make sense of how technology interacts with society, particularly to throw light on some of its more troubling effects
“One of the key findings shows the extent to which ads reach their key audience, even if they are not targeted. With just 22% of ads explicitly being targeted towards ‘male’, the fact they reached 2.3 times as many males as females is nothing short of startling. This is a vivid example of how the complex technological artefacts provide pathways for ads to flow efficiently to their key user segment.
“If one looks at the technology itself, however, it shouldn’t be too surprising. We may subscribe to certain channels on YouTube, but even when they post new videos, we often see other “interesting” content at the top of our recommendations. The algorithm prioritises content similar to what we spend more time on, sometimes over what we’ve explicitly subscribed to. In technical terms, this is called content-based filtering—where what we see is shaped by what we’ve already watched.
On social media, where connections are much richer, other forms of filtering come into play; link-based, topic-based, geographic, age-based, and more. These pathways are used to ensure ads reach users most likely to click on them, since keeping advertisers happy is the core goal. Economically speaking, social media platforms are advertising platforms: they function as information services only to the extent that they can generate profit.
It’s a lot like how ants search for food. They rely on three simple mechanisms: a strong sense of smell to find promising places to find food, vibrations left by other ants that signal activity, and pheromone trails that guide others to food. As ants follow these cues, they reinforce the best paths, allowing others to quickly home in on the source.
A similar process operates in social media. Even if an ad isn’t explicitly targeted at “males,” platforms can infer who it suits based on past behaviour—its “odour.” They also track how long users engage with ads, so content that resonates more with a particular group is shown to them more often—like vibrations. Over time, users are steered toward ads that similar users engage with, much like following pheromone trails. As these signals build, the system becomes increasingly efficient at directing ads to the users most likely to respond. So, even if 0% of gambling ads are explicitly targeted towards men, they will still follow these technological pheromonal trails to get to the most juicy segment of users, young males.
In this high-tech environment, the system sets up the game, and users merely play by it. We might rightly see young males getting heavily exposed to addictive gambling ads as a problem, but the deeper issue lies with the platforms themselves, which design these systems to maximise engagement and profit.
Declaration of interest: I have no conflicts of interest to declare
Dr Brendan Keegan, Assistant Professor in Marketing, School of Business, Maynooth University, comments:
“Ireland has a tumultuous affinity with gambling and with how big names have exploited every available advertising vehicle. Long before the Gambling Regulation Act 2024, operators had free rein to build strong brand associations through risqué billboard stunts, guerrilla marketing, and interweaved sports sponsorships that embedded betting into everyday life. The ASAI’s self-regulatory framework had restricted enforcement power, and the result was a gradual normalisation of gambling, algorithmically directed with particular force towards young men.
“A recent University of Cambridge study, analysing Meta’s Ad Library, reveals the extent of this: nearly 12.7 million male accounts reached across Meta platforms alone in just two months, before a single regulatory provision was in force.
“The new legislation is substantive, but gaps remain. The Gambling Regulation Act’s social media provisions cover opted-in followers, yet operators retain significant scope to advertise across platforms outside Meta’s platforms, influencer content, sponsored podcasts, and ‘other’ social channels where regulatory oversight is limited. The Act also has no jurisdiction over in-stadium advertising at overseas sporting events, which offers key advertising placement opportunities. How enforcement plays out, will offer a fascinating space to learn whether the study’s findings suggest a historical change, or history repeating itself.”
Declaration of interest: no conflicts of interest
Dr Peter Barrett, Clinical Research Fellow, INFANT Research Centre, University College Cork, comments:
“This research provides important evidence that gambling advertising on social media is wide-reaching, and that it is having an unequal impact across the population. Gambling ads are commonplace, but they are disproportionately reaching younger men in Ireland – a group already known to experience higher levels of gambling-related harms. Even without specific targeting, social media algorithms are amplifying the visibility of gambling ads among younger social media users, particularly males.
“Previous evidence has shown that exposure to gambling advertising leads to greater intention to gamble, increased gambling behaviour, and ultimately higher risk of gambling-related harms, including addiction. This research provides evidence that younger age groups are being exposed to very high levels of gambling advertising through their own social media accounts. In Ireland, social media use tends to be particularly high among adolescents and young adults, and the highest rates of problem gambling are seen in 25-34 year olds.
This underscores the urgent need to implement regulatory measures to reduce gambling-related harm across Irish society. This includes the need to enforce advertising restrictions through the new Gambling Regulation Act, including limiting gambling promotions on social media platforms.”
Declaration of interest: no conflicts to declare