The Construction of Ideology, Reality, and Illusion of Success in Online Gambling and Betting Advertising: A Qualitative Analysis of Illicit Platforms
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1007/s12115-026-01308-8
- Dergi Adı: Society
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, IBZ Online, Periodicals Index Online, ABI/INFORM, Agricultural & Environmental Science Database, American History and Life, ATLA Religion Database, Child Development & Adolescent Studies, EBSCO Education Source, Gender Studies Database, Historical Abstracts, Index Islamicus, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, Political Science Complete, Public Administration Abstracts, Public Affairs Index, Religion and Philosophy Collection, SportDiscus, MLA International Bibliography, Political Science Abstract (IPSA), Urban Studies Abstracts, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Social Science Premium Collection (ProQuest), Education Collection (ProQuest), Education Source Ultimate (EBSCO), Health Research Premium Collection (ProQuest), Political Science Database (ProQuest), Sociology Database (ProQuest), Sociology Source Ultimate (EBSCO)
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Betting advertising, Digital capitalism, Hyper-reality, Illegal betting, Online gambling, Subject interpellation
- Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Online gambling and betting have become a massive global industry in the age of digital capitalism, fueled by advanced technological capabilities and aggressive marketing strategies. This study examines the advertising content of five different platforms operating illegally in Turkey (1xBet, Bettilt, Bahsegel, Mostbet, Meritroyalbet) and the ideological world constructed by this content using a purposive sampling method. Ten prominent advertising videos were analyzed using a qualitative content analysis method, within the framework of Althusser’s (2014) theory of ideology. The findings reveal that the advertisements discursively marginalize the financial and psychological risks of gambling by condemning the mathematical risk to a “discursive silence,” representing wealth as something detached from labor and production, obtained solely through “luck” and “the power of desire.” Through luxury cars, stacks of banknotes, and objectified female figures, “hyper-reality” is constructed in the advertisements; the viewer is interpellated as a subject in the position of a “rational investor” or “member of an elite club.” The findings indicate that these advertisements function ideologically to normalize gambling, presenting it as a harmless and socially legitimate form of entertainment while obscuring its financial and psychological risks. In the era of digital capitalism, illegal betting and online gambling advertisements function as powerful ideological apparatuses. They obscure the financial and existential risks associated with gambling while constructing a hyper-reality based on narratives of luxury, status, and success. Through these representations, viewers are interpellated as rational investors or members of an exclusive elite.