Policy and regulation
GambleAware took a public health approach to reducing gambling harms. One important part aspect of this was to identify ways that harms could be prevented before they develop in the first place.
This research focused on operator practices such as the marketing and content promoting gambling, the effectiveness of operator-led ‘safer gambling’ messaging, and the relative risk of different gambling products. There was a specific priority on giving a voice to children and young people and marginalised groups within this research.
Explore the projects that are contributing towards evidence-based policies and regulations.
of football fans are concerned about the amount of gambling advertising and sponsorship around football.
Explore some of the key findings from this research below.
Three in four children* agree that gambling advertising makes gambling seem fun (76%) and/or harmless/risk-free (73%)
Around seven in ten children and young people agree that it's difficult to avoid gambling advertising and content (68%) and that more should be done to reduce the amount of gambling advertising and content they see (73%).
Over a third of children and young people have seen sports or gaming footage with gambling logos on clothing in the last month (36%), with a quarter interacting with that type of content (23%).
Three quarters of children and young people want there to be less gambling marketing at sports events (e.g. logos on shirts or stadiums) (74%)
1 in 4 children have been tempted to spend money gambling after seeing a celebrity gambling or advertising gambling
Two in three children agree that famous celebrities, individuals, and influencers should NOT be allowed to promote gambling (67%).
An estimated 600,000 people who take part in the National Lottery Draw are experiencing ‘problem gambling’
Most of the public are in support of the National Lottery signposting to GambleAware on both products (74%) and advertising (69%).
Although 96% of children and young people have seen gambling marketing in the last month, just 38% were aware of any health information or warnings on gambling adverts.
84% of children and young people feel there should be messages about the risk of gambling on adverts and websites
Other messages (e.g., gambling comes at a cost, gambling can grip anyone, gambling can grip anyone) have been found to be more impactful than Take Time To Think
Two operator-led safer gambling videos were found to “backfire” by increasing intentions to gamble, with one three times more likely than the control to increase gambling intentions
Almost half felt that one of the operator-led adverts suggested that gambling was “harmless fun” (45%)
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