GambleAware calls for urgent changes to gambling marketing rules

The leading charity and commissioner of gambling harm treatment and prevention services in Great Britain, GambleAware, warned about the risks of gambling harm, following the release of a report which sounded the alarm about the sector's missing marketing regulations.

A new study highlights the need for gambling marketing regulations

The report, titled "Drivers of Gambling Marketing Restrictions – An International Comparison," was commissioned by GambleAware and compiled by the University of Bristol and Ipsos, compared the gambling marketing regulation in Great Britain to other European countries.

Notably, the white paper found that Britain is lagging when it comes to the implementation of gambling marketing regulation, compared to other important markets such as Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain, among others.

At the same time, the normalization of gambling and concerns about harm among young people continue to mount, the report found.

Per the new report, there's a strong support for an overhaul of the gambling marketing regulations.

The new report uncovered that an overwhelming majority, 67% of the people interviewed, admitted that there's too much gambling advertising.

Furthermore, some 72% supported the implementation of additional gambling marketing regulations applicable for TV programs, while 74% supported the implementation of restrictions for such ads on social media.

Despite the extensive research on gambling, marketing regulations are missing

Zoë Osmond, GambleAware's CEO, said on the topic in a press release: "We look forward to the forthcoming implementation of the statutory levy by the new Government, which will provide much-needed clarity for the future system to tackle gambling harms and provide vital funding for prevention initiatives."

She added that excessive gambling ads play a key role in the rise of addictions and the required gambling support and treatment.

Osmond added: "The changes we are proposing are fair and sensible, but crucially will make a huge difference – gambling harms can affect anyone, and must do everything we can to keep people safe from gambling harm."

In that line of thought, GambleAware's position is that urgent changes to the existing gambling marketing regulations are required.

Another important aspect of the newly released study revolves around the extensive number of research papers on gambling in Great Britain.

The study estimated that while there are nearly 500 such papers completed over the last 10 years, more than the research in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and Italy combined, there's still no effective legislation that focuses on gambling marketing in particular.

On the bright side, changes to the sector are imminent but prior to the enforcement of any restrictions, lawmakers are going to conduct consultations with the relevant stakeholders, including gambling operators, the racing industry as well as charities and responsible gaming advocates.