How bookies make your money

UK bookies (bookmakers) herd geographically in less-affluent areas. The present work shows that UK bookies also herd with the special bets that they advertise to consumers, both in their shop window advertising and on TV adverts as shown to millions of viewers. I report an observational study of bet...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Philip W. S. Newall
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press 2015-05-01
Series:Judgment and Decision Making
Subjects:
Online Access:http://journal.sjdm.org/14/141026a/jdm141026a.pdf
_version_ 1797717592583962624
author Philip W. S. Newall
author_facet Philip W. S. Newall
author_sort Philip W. S. Newall
collection DOAJ
description UK bookies (bookmakers) herd geographically in less-affluent areas. The present work shows that UK bookies also herd with the special bets that they advertise to consumers, both in their shop window advertising and on TV adverts as shown to millions of viewers. I report an observational study of betting adverts over the 2014 soccer World Cup. Bet types vary in complexity, with complex types having the highest expected losses. Bookies herded on a common strategy of advertising special bets on two levels: by almost exclusively advertising complex bet types with high expected losses, and by advertising representative events within a given complex bet type. This evidence is most consistent with bookies' advertising targeting a representativeness heuristic amongst bettors. Bookies may know how to nudge bettors toward larger losses.
first_indexed 2024-03-12T08:38:32Z
format Article
id doaj.art-38324c0845444ce3835788e8b645dc1e
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 1930-2975
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-12T08:38:32Z
publishDate 2015-05-01
publisher Cambridge University Press
record_format Article
series Judgment and Decision Making
spelling doaj.art-38324c0845444ce3835788e8b645dc1e2023-09-02T17:01:28ZengCambridge University PressJudgment and Decision Making1930-29752015-05-01103225231How bookies make your moneyPhilip W. S. NewallUK bookies (bookmakers) herd geographically in less-affluent areas. The present work shows that UK bookies also herd with the special bets that they advertise to consumers, both in their shop window advertising and on TV adverts as shown to millions of viewers. I report an observational study of betting adverts over the 2014 soccer World Cup. Bet types vary in complexity, with complex types having the highest expected losses. Bookies herded on a common strategy of advertising special bets on two levels: by almost exclusively advertising complex bet types with high expected losses, and by advertising representative events within a given complex bet type. This evidence is most consistent with bookies' advertising targeting a representativeness heuristic amongst bettors. Bookies may know how to nudge bettors toward larger losses.http://journal.sjdm.org/14/141026a/jdm141026a.pdfgambling sports betting bookies bookmaking advertising representativeness heuristic.NAKeywords
spellingShingle Philip W. S. Newall
How bookies make your money
Judgment and Decision Making
gambling
sports betting
bookies
bookmaking
advertising
representativeness heuristic.NAKeywords
title How bookies make your money
title_full How bookies make your money
title_fullStr How bookies make your money
title_full_unstemmed How bookies make your money
title_short How bookies make your money
title_sort how bookies make your money
topic gambling
sports betting
bookies
bookmaking
advertising
representativeness heuristic.NAKeywords
url http://journal.sjdm.org/14/141026a/jdm141026a.pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT philipwsnewall howbookiesmakeyourmoney