FEATURED ARTICLE — March 20th, 2019

Social Media Borrowing Psychological Tricks Used by Gambling Industry

By Julia Beyers

The gambling and social media industries are two of the biggest and most profitable in the world. We see the reminders of these giants everywhere. Social media are spread all over the news, TV, radio and, of course, our smartphones. Moreover, we see many casino adverts and a huge array of sports teams and athletes are sponsored by gambling sites. But, did you know that social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter can owe much of their popularity to the gambling industry?

The gambling industry has been prevalent for decades. It utilizes a myriad of techniques and catchy phrases such as “Free games offered”, or “iPhone casino no deposit bonus engaged”. Many of these techniques use psychological tricks that subconsciously affect how we think and act. Social media platforms have cottoned on to the success of these tricks and used them to great effect in their own ways. 

In this article we look at what these tricks are, and how both industries implement them.

1. Online gratification – Social affirmation

Casinos have many ways in which we can give gratification and social affirmation to others. You can congratulate others on their winning, for example. This social affirmation is a potent psychological tool and is used greatly by platforms like Twitter and Instagram. How? Think of these things – Facebook has the “like” button, Twitter has Re-tweets – you can also like other people’s Instagram pictures. These are all examples of social affirmation. It is something we thrive on – who doesn’t love to receive a like on their photos?

2. Continual investment

The feeling of continual investment is present in both social media and online casinos. The gambling industry has used this technique for years. When gambling... Read More