New research highlights failings of gambling industry to promote ‘safer gambling’

• Research finds some gambling industry adverts designed to promote safer gambling are instead increasing gambling behaviour.
• Gambling adverts were found to reinforce the idea that gambling is safe and ‘harmless fun’, creating a false sense of security, and subtly downplaying the risks from gambling.
• The industry safer gambling adverts were found to make people want to gamble more, especially those in communities most at risk, including younger people and those experiencing gambling problems.
• GambleAware is calling for stronger regulation of gambling advertising and more monitoring of how gambling operators develop their safer gambling advertising.

GambleAware has today published new research which reveals failings from the gambling industry to effectively promote safer gambling by encouraging people to gamble more. 

Conducted by Thinks Insight & Strategy, alongside academic expert Professor Elliot Ludvig, the research tested the effectiveness of safer gambling video campaigns currently in use by major gambling operators¹.

The research found that rather than encouraging moderation and promoting safer gambling behaviours, such as limiting time and money spent on gambling, some adverts actually encouraged viewers to gamble more. This was due to the videos reinforcing the idea that gambling is safe and ‘harmless fun’, creating a false sense of security, and subtly downplaying the risks from gambling. Almost half (45%) of those seeing one operator advert felt the video suggested gambling is harmless fun.

Safer gambling videos are becoming increasingly common because they should be able to achieve meaningful effects across large audiences. If done correctly, they are low-cost and can reach a large amount of people to shape societal perceptions towards gambling, raise awareness of gambling harms and signpost people to further support – ultimately helping to prevent and reduce gambling harms. Gambling operators are supposed to allocate 20% of their digital and broadcast advertising budgets to safer gambling messaging on digital channels.  However, there is a lack of monitoring of this, and a lack of published evidence showing the potential impact, until now.

The research also found that the industry-produced adverts increase gambling intentions among communities most at risk, including younger people and those experiencing gambling problems. Those aged 18-34 were over three times as likely as those aged 55+ to engage with gambling adverts in the experiment².  

A video produced by GambleAware to reduce the stigma around gambling harm was included in the research as a comparison . The GambleAware video was the only one among those in the study that was found to be effective in reducing gambling intentions. The researchers concluded that this video was effective at normalising the idea of gambling problems as being common, encouraging self-reflection, and countering the idea that gambling is harmless fun. GambleAware was the most trusted brand in the study, showing the importance of safer gambling and public health messaging coming from non-industry sources.

Professor Elliot Ludvig said: “This study was a Randomised Controlled Trial that tested the impact of different safer gambling advertising videos on people’s gambling behaviour, attitudes, and intentions. The aim was to produce evidence to inform guidance on the design of effective safer gambling advertising videos and to establish how to measure their impact.

“The study suggests that some safer gambling videos from gambling operators have a backfire effect, encouraging gambling and having the opposite effect to their intended purpose of helping people control how much they gamble. The findings from this experiment should be used to help to guide the design of effective safer gambling advertising videos and establish standards for measuring their impact.”

In response to the research findings, GambleAware is calling for safer gambling video guidelines to be created by the UK Government, as well as more effective monitoring and accountability to be put in place for industry-led campaigns. The charity is also urging the government to introduce a consistent framework to ensure such campaigns are genuinely protective. This follows on from the GambleAware’s previous calls for mandatory health warnings and effective signposting to support to be put on all gambling marketing.

Alexia Clifford, GambleAware Chief Communications Officer, said: “This new research shows that so-called ‘safer gambling’ videos produced by gambling operators could be doing more harm than good. It’s unacceptable that adverts claiming to help people reduce their risk of harm are encouraging people to gamble more instead.  
 
“The gambling industry cannot be left to ‘mark its own homework’ on such an important issue. We need stronger legislation on gambling marketing and advertising, including more effective monitoring of gambling industry-led advertising campaigns, health warnings on all gambling advertising, and for all adverts to signpost to where people can get help for gambling harms.”

Read the full research report and the technical report

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. For the research, participants were randomly exposed to different safer gambling video adverts, followed by a simulated online environment in which the effect of the video on their subsequent inclination to gamble was captured. The objective was to produce rigorous evidence about what types of safer gambling messages affect gambling behaviours and attitudes, and to assess the effectiveness of the methods used by operators in reducing harmful gambling.
2. On average (i.e., across all the videos shown) 14% of those aged 18-34 clicked on the “pop up” advert to place a free bet, compared to vs 4% of those aged 55+.