市场营销学系学术讲座（11月12日）

The Influence of Sports Betting Advertising on College Students

Speaker: Zhen Zhu

Professor of Marketing

Suffolk University

Time: 13:30-15:00, Nov.12th (Thursday), 2026

Venue: Siyuan Building, Room 624

MC: Prof. Rongwei Chu

Abstract:

This presentation examines how sports betting advertising influences the awareness, attitudes, and behaviors of college students in Massachusetts, a state with legal sports wagering since 2022. Using a Community Research Team (CRT) approach, we trained 25–30 college students from diverse institutions to conduct peer interviews, observations, and data analysis. This community-based research provides rich, firsthand insights into students’ exposure to, and engagement with, sports betting advertising across their consumer journeys. We share key findings on advertising tactics, youth vulnerability, and regulatory loopholes, and discuss how our results inform practical recommendations for prevention and harm-reduction programs. The study has directly contributed to policy discussions with the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, demonstrating the value of youth-led, community-engaged research in shaping more equitable and protective gambling policies.

Bio:

Dr. Zhen Zhu is Professor of Marketing at Suffolk University. Her recent research work lies in the field of gambling marketing, sustainable innovations, and digital marketing in international contexts. She has published in Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Retailing, Journal of Product Innovation and Management, Journal of Macromarketing, Technovation, Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, Decision Science, etc. She has won research grants and awards from Massachusetts Gaming Commission, Wharton Customer Analytics Institute, Journal of Advertising Research, as well as high citation awards for her published works. She is an alum from Fudan University.