GambleAware has published an interim report, produced by Ipsos MORI, that has found that the volume and spend on gambling marketing and advertising is on the rise across different forms of media.
The research, which is the first of its kind in Great Britain, was carried out by two consortia led by Ipsos MORI and the Institute for Social Marketing at the University of Stirling.
The research is also part of the UK Gambling Commission’s research programme and forms a key part of the National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms.
The interim results found that, between 2015-2018, the volume and spend on gambling marketing and advertising is on the rise across different forms of media, including TV and radio, with lotteries and bookmakers among the top spenders.
Sports advertising was particularly dominant online, with exposure compounded further by sponsorship used within broadcasts of live events.
Children, young people and vulnerable individuals who took part in focus group discussions for the study highlighted the prevalence of gambling advertising on TV (including during the day), on social media, on the high street and at point of sales in shops.
The emergence of new sectors such as esports presents a new set of challenges in terms of managing exposure to gambling.
In addition to advertising and marketing, the researchers identified other factors contributing to the wide exposure of gambling within society, including the role of family and friends in introducing them to gambling. Many revealed they had experienced exposure to gambling activity from an early age in a range of settings.
Within the data captured, the research found no examples of gambling adverts being placed within children’s media, including the most popular children’s websites.
However, researchers judged much of the content contained features which might plausibly appeal directly to children and young people, including celebrity endorsement, memorable songs and catchphrases.
Content which may appeal to children and young people was found in 11 per cent of gambling adverts in the mainstream media; this was as high as 59 per cent of esports gambling content on Twitter – largely due to the use of animated style graphics.
The research also found that children are currently not being actively screened out from receiving online gambling adverts and are able to follow and engage with betting-related accounts on Twitter. This suggests that more could be done with existing technology to manage what children are exposed to.
Marc Etches, CEO of GambleAware, said: “This is an interim report, and as such it is too early to judge the impact of exposure to gambling advertising and marketing on children, young people and vulnerable adults.
“Nevertheless, the research does make important recommendations, including the need for clearer and more regular messages on gambling adverts of the risks associated with gambling, and the need to strengthen age verification processes on social media platforms.”
