Inquiry Post 2: Persuasive Design and How Online Gambling Platforms Pull People In

aryadaeipour

For this part of my inquiry, I focused more on platform design. I wanted to understand how online gambling actually works once someone is already on the app or website. The more I looked into it, the more I felt like the harm is not about gambling itself. The way digital platforms make it feel quick, normal, and hard to step away from is one of the main reasons why online gambling is dangerous in my opinion. That seems really connected to digital literacy because if people do not notice the design choices, it is easy to assume they are just making completely independent choices when the platform is clearly trying to shape their behaviour.

Design features that pull people in

As I kept researching, I started noticing that the design side of this matters just as much as the ads. A Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction report explains that sports betting ads often play on people’s sense of knowledge and control, making it seem like being smart about sports can improve your chances of winning. The same report says these features can encourage people to bet more often and spend more money (Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction, 2024). That really got my attention because it shows how persuasive design works. Sometimes it is just making people feel informed, or in control, even when the platform still has the advantage.

I also kept thinking about stuff like bonus bets, quick deposits, and the general pressure to act fast. These show up in almost every prolific online gambling site (such as Stake or Rainbet). Even the language used feels important. A lot of it is made to sound exciting and low risk. When I was reading the WHO fact sheet, one phrase that stuck with me was “dark nudges.” The WHO says gambling products and even health promotion messages can use dark nudges that exploit people’s cognitive biases and encourage more consumption (World Health Organization, 2024). That made me realize that some of these features are not random marketing choices and are there because they work on people psychologically.

Why this matters for digital literacy

Another thing I found interesting is that even regular online bettors seem aware of how normalized this has become. The Australian Institute of Family Studies shared responses from bettors who said gambling advertising is “out of control” and that young people cannot really engage with sport anymore without being exposed to odds and betting promotions. The same research snapshot says many online bettors linked gambling advertising to the normalization of betting culture (Australian Institute of Family Studies, 2025). I think that matters because this is not just criticism from outsiders. Even people inside that world can see how constant the messaging is.

What this week changed for me is that I started seeing online gambling as an individual risk issue as well as a design issue too. Someone can be completely comfortable with technology and still be vulnerable to a platform that is built to hold attention, and make betting feel routine. That is why digital literacy matters here: It is about recognizing how design affects behaviour and being able to question the system in front of you.

Moving forward

For my next post, I want to look more closely at why younger people are especially vulnerable to this, and how online gambling is becoming part of normal digital culture instead of something people see as separate from it.

Sources