From Prohibition to Promotion: Framing and Sourcing the Legalization of Sports Betting in the U.S.

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine a massive shift in the framing of sports betting legalization in the United States. Thematic analysis from newspaper reports covering seminal moments in sports betting between 1991 (when public hearings were held prior to the passage of PASPA) and June 2018 (to include reports that immediately followed the fall of PASPA) identifies dominant frames and sources found in U.S. newspapers. Findings from this study reveal important implications for journalism and future policy making in a new era of widespread state-sponsored sports betting in the United States. Findings suggest that over time economic frames smothered moral/social and integrity frames surrounding legal sports betting. The discourse transformed from one of protecting vulnerable populations and the integrity of the games to one of protecting “consumers” who might gamble in a “safe, regulated” environment while contributing taxes to the state. Further, data revealed that official sources (e.g., professional sports representatives and elected officials) used access to newspaper reporting to assert tremendous influence over policy by shifting the narrative from prohibition to promotion of legalized sports betting.