Constructing Mediated Betting Discourse: A Typology of Responsible Gambling Language Identified Through ESPN's Sports Wagering Shows.

Media play an integral part in the presentation of information surrounding gambling, and thus, it is important to consider the sharing of such details to inform and educate about suggested participation in sports wagering. This study analyzes discourse during ESPN's dedicated sports betting program, ESPN Bet Live (formerly Daily Wager), to produce a typology of responsible mediated gambling language offered by on-air talent and through visual graphics to an active gambling audience. Analysis of 45 episodes aired during the men's and women's NCAA basketball tournaments between 2021 and 2024 revealed four broad categories- announcer transparency, bet certainty, bookmaking education, and investment terminology- and four distinct types of evidence- X's & O's, traditional statistics, betting statistics, and non-scientific. Announcers rarely communicated specific responsible gambling recommendations but offered justification primarily through analysis of game play and traditional statistics. As media coverage of sports betting hurdles beyond journalistic responsibility of reporting scandals to the integration of gambling information and recommendations, it is incumbent upon sports media to present wagering information in a responsible manner.