The utilization and perception of sports betting experts (‘tipsters’) among sports bettors with gambling problems: a qualitative focus group interview study

Lopez-Gonzalez, H ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1249-2623, Rius-Buitrago, A, Jiménez-Murcia, S and Griffiths, MD ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8880-6524, 2021. The utilization and perception of sports betting experts (‘tipsters’) among sports bettors with gambling problems: a qualitative focus group interview study. International Gambling Studies, 21 (2), pp. 238-254. ISSN 1445-9795

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Abstract

Tipsters are sports betting experts that offer recommendations concerning betting opportunities, usually in exchange for money. With the growth of online sports betting, tipsters have become more accessible via social media. However, it remains unknown whether tipsters might have an impact on sports bettors experiencing gambling problems. In the present study, data concerning tipsters were collected via focus group interviews with sports bettors undergoing treatment for gambling disorder (n = 28) and examined utilizing a thematic analysis approach. The findings suggest that many participants used tipsters during their gambling activity, although they had divergent thoughts about their actual ability to produce accurate tips. The selection of tipsters appears to be biased toward personal contact and word-of-mouth strategies rather than objective performance data. Notably, many bettors had experienced thoughts of becoming tipsters themselves. The participants struggled to integrate into a coherent narrative both the existence of individuals such as tipsters who (allegedly) have been able to consistently ‘beat the bookies’, and their contrasting personal experience of repeated losses. This has implications for therapists working on cognitive restructuring, because tipsters made sports bettors wonder about the importance of skill in betting, and whether thinking they could be winners was actually a distorted or a realistic perception.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	International Gambling Studies
Creators:	Lopez-Gonzalez, H., Rius-Buitrago, A., Jiménez-Murcia, S. and Griffiths, M.D.
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Date:	2021
Volume:	21
Number:	2
ISSN:	1445-9795
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1080/14459795.2020.1844270 DOI 1390241 Other
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	Linda Sullivan
Date Added:	24 Nov 2020 14:49
Last Modified:	23 Nov 2021 03:00
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/41683

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