‘Safer gambling’ ads may fuel more gambling, study reveals
A new study commissioned by GambleAware has found that adverts created by gambling companies to promote “safer gambling” may actually encourage people to gamble more, particularly younger audiences and those already at risk of harm.
Ads designed to reduce harm may be backfiring
GambleAware said its research “shows operator ‘safer gambling’ adverts may actually increase gambling.” The charity warned that “some gambling industry adverts designed to promote safer gambling are instead increasing gambling behaviour.”
The research revealed that “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.” Almost half (45%) of viewers of one operator advert felt that the video “suggested gambling is harmless fun.”
The report, conducted by Thinks Insight & Strategy alongside academic expert Professor Elliot Ludvig, tested five different “safer gambling” campaigns. It found that “‘Top Tips for Positive Play’ (William Hill) and ‘Made to Play Safely’ (888), led to a significant increase in click-through rates compared to the control”.
“These videos may encourage gambling engagement, potentially due to their framing or the promotional nature of their messaging,” the researchers concluded, adding that survey results “suggest the videos may reinforce the idea that gambling is safe, create a false sense of security, increase gambling intent, and, despite being perceived as trustworthy, subtly downplay gambling risks”.
Professor Ludvig, who led the trial, 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.”
He added: “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”.
Younger people most at risk
The report found that “younger audiences and those experiencing gambling problems may face a higher risk of harm from gambling advertising”.
Those aged 18-34 were “over three times as likely as those aged 55+ to engage with gambling adverts in the experiment,” according to the GambleAware press release.
The data showed that “clicks to the gambling app were driven by those aged 18-34, and those experiencing problems with gambling”. Among people with a PGSI score of 8+ (indicating problem gambling), 34% who watched William Hill’s video clicked through to the gambling app, compared with just 5% of those aged 55+.
GambleAware’s own video showed protective effect
By contrast, the only advert that reduced gambling intentions was GambleAware’s own campaign, the “Magnets” stigma video.
The trial found that “the ‘Magnets’ Stigma Campaign video resulted in a statistically significant decrease in click-through rates”.
The researchers noted that “the serious tone and personal narratives may have contributed to this impact by fostering greater awareness of gambling harms.” They added that survey responses “suggest that the video effectively normalises gambling problems as widespread, encourages self-reflection, counters the idea of gambling as harmless fun, and is perceived as trustworthy, potentially enhancing its protective impact on behaviour”.
Participants in the study also recognised the video’s effectiveness. One viewer said: “Break the stigma of gambling.” Another responded: “It’s talking about gambling addiction and assurance that there’s help in stopping gambling”.
GambleAware said the research showed “the importance of safer gambling and public health messaging coming from non-industry sources.”
Calls for stronger regulation
Alexia Clifford, GambleAware’s 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.”
She added: “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.”
The charity is urging the government to take responsibility, saying: “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”.
Industry under pressure
The study comes as operators are already required to allocate “20% of their digital and broadcast advertising budgets to safer gambling messaging.” However, GambleAware said “there is a lack of monitoring of this, and a lack of published evidence showing the potential impact, until now.”
The charity has also repeated its call for “mandatory health warnings and effective signposting to support to be put on all gambling marketing.”
In its recommendations, the Thinks Insight & Strategy team wrote: “This adds to the previous evidence showing industry-led campaigns can lack effectiveness and may be doing more harm than good. More accountability is needed for the 20% spent by operators on safer gambling videos and broader messaging”.
