Table 2C.

Articles concerning the use of social media or websites tools.

Country	Author	Year	Journal	Objectives of the study	Type of study	Main results	Discussion
Australia	Gainsbury et al. (49)	2015	International Gambling Studies	To explore how gambling operators are using the social media to engage with users and promote products and services	Qualitative method Thematic analyses of 12 semi-structured interviews with 19 individuals representing different sectors of the gambling industry	Use of the social media The social media are integrated into a global strategic business and communication plan, with the aim of increasing brand-name awareness and customer commitment Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and Pinterest were used by operators. Community narratives are an important part of the social media content. Target audience Operators targeted young men. The social media were considered useful to engage with new consumers by enhancing brand-name salience, building customer relationships, and encouraging visits to their website Impact of the social media Risks of negative feedback for brand names were cited: companies have no control over how consumers engage with the company. Risks of reputational damage were noted Inclusion of responsible gambling Most operators stated that they included responsible gambling messaging in the content posted.	The social media involvement appeared to be crucial for gambling operators and is increasingly embraced The social media were used to engage with existing customers, and potentially reach users already interested in gambling products. Successful use of the social media was measured from brand involvement. The goal of increasing sales was not reported by operators. The social media were defined as a way to recruit customers by different means: running competitions, asking questions, posting relevant articles, links and stories, or responding to customers' comments, queries or complaints All operators appeared to be mindful and cautious about ensuring that the social media were not used to promote excessive gambling and did not target vulnerable populations (consistent with Australian advertising rules of conduct). But little control of the sharing of contents with minors. Several operators included responsible gambling messages on their social media profiles, but most of the time, they were not accessible. Operators found that the social media were not an appropriate channel for discussion on responsible gambling and that users would not like these messages.
Australia	Gainsbury et al. (50)	2016	J Gambl Stud	To examine the use of the social media for marketing purposes by gambling companies	Audit of 101 sites over 4 weeks: Mixed method, quantitative variables collected and thematic analysis of social media utilization by gambling operators in Australia	Quantitative data 87% of operators had a Facebook page, 52% a Twitter page 11.9% of operators had information about responsible gambling or PG services on their social media profiles Qualitative data Latent message promotional content: raising awareness/glamorizing gambling/emphasizing ease of use/Encouraging new use/emphasizing winning/encouraging venue patronage/encouraging betting/aligning gambling with sport/brand engagement/promoting community benefits of gambling/limited warning messages	The majority of gambling operators had social media presence, betting agencies more particularly The most popular social media platform was Facebook Gambling was depicted in an overwhelmingly positive light: glamorous, exciting, fun Gambling promoted as having a natural alignment with sport to convey gendered messages: gambling a way to show masculinity, team loyalty, skills etc. The practices of gambling operators encourage potential sharing of social media posts, facilitate exposure of vulnerable populations to gambling marketing (underage individuals) A lack of responsible gambling content on social network pages and content posted by Australian gambling operators The authors recommended research to monitor the impact of gambling marketing via the social media on young people
Australia	Gainsbury et al. (29)	2016	Psychol Addict Behav	To investigate recall of exposure to, and reported impact on gamblers of gambling promotions on the social media, with a focus on current problem gamblers	Online quantitative study on a sample of 964 participants (self-reported use of social media and gambling within the previous 12 months)	Exposure Moderate-risk gamblers significantly more likely to report having seen gambling promotions on the social media than non-problem gamblers (66.2 vs. 39.8%), and to report having seen all types of gambling promotions, and having interacted with gambling operators on social media. Impact of exposure 29.3% of moderate-risk gamblers reported that social media promotions had increased their problems. A minority of low-risk and non-problem gamblers reported that their gambling had changed under the influence of promotions. Responsible gambling messages The majority did not recall seeing responsible gambling messages on social media. Moderate/risk-prone gamblers were significantly more likely to recall responsible gambling messages on social media websites than non-problem gamblers.	The authors distinguished a subset of vulnerable gamblers for whom social media marketing could influence their gambling problems: better recall of promotions, and reported influence on gambling practices. The authors suggested that operators were not as vigilant at detecting users with gambling problems as claimed, or that it is difficult to detect gambling problems on the basis of social media interactions. The authors concluded that moderate-risk gamblers were an appropriate target audience for responsible gambling messages, and were more receptive to the use of social media platforms.
Canada	McMullan et Kervin (51)	2012	Int J Ment health and Addiction	To examine the web design and engineering of advertising and marketing, and pedagogical features present in a random sample of 71 international poker websites obtained from the Casino City directory in the summer of 2009	Qualitative study Content analysis of 71 poker websites	22 variables were coded, related to access, appeal, player protection, customer services, on-site security, use of images, text, language, interactive and immersive materials, promotional products and programs, sponsorships, celebrities, tutelage resources, responsible gambling programs	The poker websites were defined as an instrument of friendship. 92% of the websites defined poker as a natural consumer activity. Poker websites were instruments of promotion: attractiveness, bright-color, design, 97% used promotional sales practices, 81% featured reward programs and 76% affiliate programs. Marketing targeted young people: 28% of the individuals portrayed in images appeared to be 25 years old or under Gendered marketing strategies were identified: 11% promoted overtly sexualized images to send the message that poker was seductive