Abstract

Several studies argue that sponsorship promotes and normalizes gambling behavior because commercial gambling providers (CGPs) act as sponsors for many sports entities. This study examines the effect of articulation on sports sponsorship, sincerity, and congruence as perceived by consumers and betting behavior by comparing a CGP brand with a congruent sponsor brand. Data were collected through an experiment combining the factor of the inter-subject type of sponsor (CGPs sponsor vs. congruence sponsor) and articulation (commercial articulation and no articulation) in 518 subjects from the United Kingdom. The analysis was performed using structural equation modeling and multi-group analysis. Subjects showed a greater willingness to bet when the CGP sponsor was perceived as congruent and sincere compared with congruent sponsorship, suggesting that this type of sponsor could encourage sports betting. However, the elimination of CGPs' sponsorship is complex because of the significant funding they provide.