Bet More - But Only with Me: Role of Celebrity Endorsers in Sports Betting Advertising

Since the federal ban on sports betting was lifted in 2018, the industry has grown rapidly in the United States, raising concerns about the risk of problem gambling. Building on existing research that suggests the limited effectiveness of traditional responsible gambling campaigns, the current study examines whether the use of celebrity endorsers in advertising can enhance responsible gambling intentions. Using a scenario-based experiment with 383 U.S. sports bettors, regression analyses reveal that an endorser whose image aligns with the target audience increases consumer awareness of responsible gambling messages, thereby enhancing intentions to gamble responsibly. In addition, an image-congruent endorser boosts consumers' betting intentions and word-of-mouth advocacy for the sportsbook. Although image congruence in advertising is often operationalized through racial similarity, the findings suggest that same-race endorsers are effective in enhancing image congruence only when sports betting is perceived as socially acceptable. This study is the first to examine the effect of endorser-consumer image congruence on consumer intentions toward both sports betting brands and responsible gambling. The findings provide important insights to sportsbooks aiming to balance branding and social responsibility in marketing campaigns.