ADVERTISING AND MARKETING
In the gambling sector, influencers can be categorised into various niches, such as sports betting influencers who provide tips and insights, casino influencers who review games and platforms, and poker influencers who share strategies and tournament updates. Each type of influencer caters to a specific audience within the broader gambling community. The gaming space often uses gameplay elements which are considered gambling in many jurisdictions, and here influencers play an arguably greater role. A 2021 YouGov survey found that two-thirds of US teens follow influencers (against 29 percent of adults) with gaming content followed by 36 percent of individuals, second only to music content at 39 percent. 7 This is a useful segue to examining who the followers of gambling influencer content are. As the YouGov data shows, the gaming demographic skews strongly towards teenagers and young adults. This changes when it comes to streaming of gambling content where 18-30-year-olds make up around 60 percent of the global audience on platforms like Kick. 8 It may seem obvious why they’re tuning in, but it is worth pausing briefly to understand what audiences get out of it. Researcher, Jamie Torrance of Swansea University has carried out one of the few empirical studies into the behavior of followers. 9 Participants in the study describe following their favourite streamers of gaming content, people who they bond with. Then, when these streamers migrate to producing gambling content, they follow and this is often their pathway into gambling. They speak of intense gambling sessions where eye-watering sums are won and lost by streamers. Their connection to the streamers means followers of their content are emotionally invested in their success or failures. Casino-style features embedded into the streaming platform were also described in detail. Viewers earn “channel points” for watching streams, creating progression systems that mirror slot machine reward schedules. These points can be wagered
on stream outcomes – essentially gambling on gambling – then redeemed for custom rewards, such as a shout-out from the streamer. One surprising revelation is that participants say they watch streams as a safe alternative to gambling themselves. Instead of satisfying the urge, however, they report intensified cravings and increased real-money gambling as a result of viewership. The power of streamers to influence behavior is even greater among a younger audience. Combine this with poor age verification on the streaming platforms and there is great potential for harm among teenagers. Regulating influencer marketing in the regulated gambling market Influencer marketing is not intrinsically bad, neither are the challenges of influencer marketing exclusive to gambling. They are the same challenges for pharmaceuticals, for alcohol, for all sorts of areas where influence can be either positive or negative. The task for legislators and regulators is to create the market conditions to incentivize them to do it responsibly. That also goes for the enablers of their businesses, the platforms they use, the payment systems they rely on and those who pay them for their services. There is broad consensus that influencer marketing in gambling requires regulation, but before regulators start dreaming up new laws in this area, it’s worth considering what already exists. In many jurisdictions, there are already laws against promoting illegal gambling. Too heavy handed an approach risks turning influencer marketing into another marketing tool where the regulated market faces tight restrictions when black market operators face none. The prevalence report referenced above revealed not only how much influencer marketing was being used by operators but also a worrying lack of compliance with existing marketing
7 https://yougov.com/reports/38826-international-gaming-report-2021 8 https://zipdo.co/kick-statistics 9 https://theconversation.com/why-people-are-watching-livestreams-of-influencers-gambling-and-how-it-could-be-fuelling-addiction-266532
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IMGL MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2025
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