**Banning dangerous activities isn’t effective but banning their advertising is**
In 1964, the US Surgeon General released the first report on the negative health effects of smoking. Just one year later, in 1965, the British government banned TV advertising of cigarettes. Now, most forms of tobacco advertising are banned in the UK under the Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002.
Tobacco only arrived on the shores of England in 1586 – but gambling has been around in one form or another since the dawn of time and, despite being a similarly risk-laden activity, betting firms are still able to promote their wares – despite more than half the UK public supporting a complete ban on gambling advertising.
Just a quick glance at Paddy Power’s voracious Twitter activity is enough to convince anyone of the popularity of the sector’s advertising output.
A 2020 YouGov treatment and support survey reported that 13% of the population was experiencing some level of gambling harm. This is the equivalent of around 8.7 million Brits. A further 7% of the population – equal to 4.7 million – are affected negatively by other people’s gambling.
On top of the mere existence of gambling addiction and harm, according to GambleAware – the strategic commissioner of gambling harm prevention and treatment services across Great Britain – three in four (75%) people experiencing gambling problems feel like they cannot open up about the issue.
What does this have to do with gambling advertising? Well, research published by the University of Sheffield in January this year revealed that exposure to betting brand advertising increases the risks of debt, relationship problems, physical and mental health problems and crime.
In March, the Belgian government announced plans to ban gambling advertising across multiple platforms from 1 July, with ads set to be banned from television, radio, cinemas, magazines, newspapers and out-of-home (OOH) platforms. Further prohibitions on betting ads in stadiums and professional sports club sponsorships will also be implemented in the future – January 2025 and January 2028 respectively.
Should the UK follow suit? The vast majority of football fans seem to think so. According to a recent YouGov poll, a whopping three-quarters (77%) of UK football fans would be in favour of banning gambling companies from appearing as shirt sponsors. In the 2026-27 season and beyond the Premier League will in fact ban gambling companies from appearing as match-day front-of-shirt sponsors.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) recently announced that it was “discontented” with gambling industry-owned messaging and that it hopes to implement safer marketing in years to come. This would include strengthening messaging around the risks associated with gambling and working with the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) to draw on existing public health expertise.
GambleAware itself feels that the government’s commitment to bolster informational messaging in this recently released gambling white paper is “encouraging”.
But would an all-out ban on gambling marketing help reduce the problem of gambling harm even more?
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Alexia Clifford, the chief communications officer for GambleAware, has told Marketing Beat that the organisation is not calling for a complete ban on all gambling advertising, but it would like to see “strengthened regulation” around advertising and marketing to better protect children and young people in particular from exposure.
“The lack of commitment around this in the government’s white paper feels like a missed opportunity,” Clifford adds. “We will continue working with the government to make sure all relevant evidence is considered to ensure effective changes to the regulation can be made.”
GambleAware is specifically concerned about the impact gambling advertising is having on children and young people.
“Our research shows that for children and young people in particular, increased exposure to gambling advertising can influence attitudes and increase the likelihood of gambling participation in the future, which in turn comes with an increased risk of harm,” Clifford says.
Of the estimated £1.5 billion spent on gambling marketing in 2017, the majority (48%) was invested in internet marketing. Nearly half of 11-17 year olds (45%) report seeing gambling adverts at least weekly on social media.
“Providers should have a clear duty of care to prevent this. Alongside restrictions on traditional marketing, we believe that social media sites must also do more to prevent children from exposure to gambling content or promotion.”
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With regards to sports sponsorship, which would of course engage with young sports fans, GambleAware has “long called” for a ban. Clifford adds: “The recent announcement from the Premier League, agreeing to withdraw gambling sponsorship from the front of clubs’ matchday shirts, clearly highlights an increased recognition of gambling harms. Although this could have gone further in a number of ways, it’s a welcome step in the right direction.”
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is also clamping down on licensed characters and celebrities that could appeal to younger generations. While GambleAware is “pleased” to see this change in regulation, it would like to see “further investigation” into the compliance and impact of this measure going forward.
‘Gamble responsibly’ messaging attached onto the end of various gambling advertisements also has a tendency to appear ironic and uncaring. Clifford feels that too often the narrative of ‘gamble responsibly’ type campaigns implies that people experience harm because they are irresponsible.
Please gamble responsibly.
Find out more at https://t.co/4KksmmO1AC#SaferGambling pic.twitter.com/ER3tMvpIxw
— Paddy Power (@paddypower) May 9, 2023
“We would like to see a shift in the tone of some industry messaging to better reflect a public health approach and acknowledge that gambling harms can affect anyone and are not the fault of the individual,” she adds. “Gambling harms can affect anyone and are a serious public health issue, with research suggesting that one in four people think they know someone who has experienced problems with their gambling.”
Ipsos recently published a report which looked at public health learnings for safer gambling campaigns. GambleAware hopes it can be used by organisations to better inform and guide all forms of safer gambling messaging.
“We have also produced a language guide which gives examples of language to avoid when talking about gambling harms, to help organisations reduce stigma when discussing gambling harms in their communications.”
Work is being put in to protect those at risk and those suffering from gambling-related harms. While an all out ban may feel like a tall order to most, it will come as a reassurance to know that regulators, the government and gambling related charities are keeping a close eye on betting brands and their marketing outputs.
Paddy Power has declined the opportunity to comment.
Ladbrokes and Bet365 have been contacted for comment.
