Ads or Corruption - The Year Influencers Became The Problem in Sports Betting

The Sports and Crime Briefing takes a world tour to see how influencers are being fined, threatened, arrested or left alone for their ties to gambling, depending on the country.

Influencers are inevitable in gambling advertising. Consider this: In 2023, 74% of US gambling operators used affiliate marketing, with 15% of their marketing budgets going directly to influencers, according to Scaleo.

In 2024, if those percentages hold steady, gambling companies are projected to spend upward of $1.8 billion on influencer endorsements. And they work.

Research by the University of Adelaide showed these endorsements cut through the clutter of conventional gambling ads and that audiences, especially teenagers and young men, are more likely to view these deals as unmissable opportunities.

But are these endorsements go too far?

Throughout 2024, countries have come down hard on influencer ties to gambling. In Türkiye, several have been got arrested and their accounts suspended. It was not the only country to do so.

In Brazil, France, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, and more, dozens of social media stars have run afoul of prosecutors in 2024.

In Australia, the issue is fuelling a political quest to ban gambling advertising altogether.

The Sports and Crime Briefing takes a world tour on this issue: