Oral Presentation (max 20 mins including Q&A) National Men's Health Gathering 2025

Sports gambling and young men: What are the risks, and what needs to be done? (129092)

Vincent Mancini 1 2 3 4 , Jack D Brett 2 , Robert Heirene 5 , Krista Fisher 6 , Francis Mitrou 1 2
  1. Centre for Child Health Research, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
  2. The Kids Research Institute, Nedlands, WA, Australia
  3. Mens Talk, Perth, WA, Australia
  4. School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
  5. Brain & Mind Centre, School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  6. Movember Institute of Men's Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Australian adults lose more money to gambling per capita than any other nation (~$1,200AUD per adult, annually). However, gambling is not only a threat to population wealth, but also to population health. The landscape of Australian gambling policy is also dynamic, often lagging in response to innovative methods that betting agencies promote, engage with, and retain, their userbase. These methods might include how to entice a younger market that might continue to gamble for many years to come.

The research described today is a part of a larger program of work investigating the mechanisms that contribute to men developing gambling problems, particularly during their formative years.

The rationale for this work is driven by five major factors: (1) men are more likely than women to engage in all forms of gambling, but particularly those that involve a ‘skill-based’ component, (2) men are more likely than women to place larger wagers and to develop gambling problems, (3) the frequency and pattern of gambling behaviours are different for younger adults (< 25 years) than older adults (25+ years), and (4) gambling companies target the younger male demographic , and (5) data that argues that electronic gaming machines (EGMs, or ‘pokies’) increase risk of gambling harm use population data which is neither gendered nor age-specific.

The key findings from our work are as follows:

  1. Sports gambling and fantasy sports gambling were the only types of gambling to predict gambling in young men.
  2. Higher depression, but low anxiety also predicted higher rates of problem gambling.
  3. Positive social support predicts lower rates of problem gambling.
  4. Many young men report that their first exposures to gambling begin pre-adulthood.
  5. Parents of young men report feelings of concern, but also defeat, about the prevalence of sports gambling.
  6. Young men report that many of their friendships are constructed around gambling.

So, what are the potential implications of these results?

Our research challenges earlier assumptions that EGMs are the most harmful form of gambling. Amongst young men – a group more likely to gamble on ‘skill-based’ forms of gambling – sports (and fantasy) gambling seems to be the only form of gambling that confer later gambling risk. Moreover, the socialization of sports gambling may also pose a risk factor that is yet to be addressed. Effective policies must acknowledge the unique risk profile and challenges that young men encounter with regard to gambling problems.