Analysing the Twitter accounts of licensed Sports gambling operators in Spaina space for responsible gambling?

  1. Alejandra Hernández-Ruiz 1
  2. Yoan Gutiérrez 1
  1. 1 Universitat d'Alacant
    info

    Universitat d'Alacant

    Alicante, España

    ROR https://ror.org/05t8bcz72

Journal:
Comunicación y sociedad = Communication & Society

ISSN: 2386-7876

Year of publication: 2021

Volume: 34

Issue: 4

Pages: 65-79

Type: Article

DOI: 10.15581/003.34.4.65-79 WoS: WOS:000704711500005 DIALNET GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openOpen access editor

More publications in: Comunicación y sociedad = Communication & Society

Abstract

Apart from the economic impact of the online gambling industry, the social, public order and health-related consequences of the industry merit analysis to inform appropriate action, regulatory or otherwise. The omnipresence of ICTs, the inability to use technologies properly, along with the growth of online gambling channels, have acted simultaneously as a catalyst for the spread of pathological and problematic gambling. In this context, social networks have become a highly effective platform to instil positive attitudes towards the products of gambling operators. This work uses the Natural Language Processing based web application “GPLSI Social Analytics” to track, in real time, the conversations generated on Twitter about the Spanish domain accounts of the main online sports gambling operators. The findings indicate that most of the messages about these operators are positive and surprise is the predominant emotion associated with them. The notion of responsible online gambling barely receives a mention in the conversations analysed. Given the role of new technologies as access facilitators and potential enhancers of addictive behaviours, it is necessary to adopt measures directed at social networks that guarantee the coexistence of the right to freedom of expression with the protection of the most vulnerable populations.

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Funding information

This research work has been partially funded by Generalitat Valenciana through project “SIIA: Tecnologías del lenguaje humano para una sociedad inclusiva, igualitaria, y accessible” with grant reference PROMETEU/2018/089, by the Spanish Government through project RTI2018-094653-B-C22: “Modelang: Modeling the behavior of digital entities by Human Language Technologies'', as well as being partially supported by a grant from the Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) and the LIVING-LANG project (RTI2018-094653-B-C21) from the Spanish Government. Additionally, it has been backed by the work of both COST Actions: CA19134 – “Distributed Knowledge Graphs” and CA19142 – “Leading Platform for European Citizens, Industries, Academia and Policymakers in Media Accessibility”.

Funders

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Data source: Dialnet