Mia Daly1, Daisy Houghton2, Anne Campbell3, Frank Houghton4
Abstract
Background: Gambling represents a significant threat to a small proportion of society, including children. People who engage in gambling while children are more likely to become problem gamblers in later life.
Methods: A visual content analysis of Irish National Lottery webpages was conducted. The coding schema for this analysis was based on five key elements from the Advertising and Promotion Code of Practice of Ireland’s National Lottery.
Results: Four separate web pages comprising a total of 48 distinct elements were examined. There was no evidence of materials relating to three of the five criteria examined. However, there was substantial evidence of the web pages exhibiting material relating to the remaining two criteria.
Conclusion: There is clearly evidence of marketing materials on Ireland’s National Lottery website that are likely to be of significant appeal to young people. A more robust evaluation of lottery marketing materials is required by the Office of the Regulator of the National Lottery. It is recommended that current legislative separations are abolished and that in future the National Lottery is governed under Ireland’s new Gambling Regulation Act, 2024.
Keywords: Advertising; Children; Gambling; Halloween; Ireland; Lottery; Marketing; Online.