GambleAware has urged the UK Government to develop rules for creating safer gambling video adverts. The initiative follows new research that questioned the effectiveness of operator-led advertising campaigns promoting responsible gambling.
The charity also emphasized the need for stricter monitoring and greater transparency from the industry, as well as a unified framework to ensure such advertising genuinely serves a protective function.
The research was conducted by Thinks Insight & Strategy in collaboration with Professor Elliot Ludvig. Its goal was to assess how effective current safer gambling video campaigns used by leading gambling operators really are.
The review included: a control video, ‘Magnets’ stigma campaign by GambleAware, ‘Play At Your Best’ by Betfair, ‘Top Tips For Positive Play’ by William Hill, ‘Take Time To Think’ by the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), as well as ‘Made To Play Safely’ by 888.
Participants were randomly shown different safer gambling adverts, after which they entered a simulated online environment where researchers measured how the videos influenced their inclination to gamble. The study aimed to determine which types of messages impact players’ perceptions and behaviors, as well as how effective operator-led campaigns are at reducing the risks of harmful gambling.
“Backfire Effect”
The study revealed that William Hill’s Top Tips For Positive Play and 888’s Made To Play Safely videos had a “backfire effect,” leading to a significant increase in click-through rates compared to the control.
According to the findings, these videos “may encourage gambling engagement, potentially due to their framing or the promotional nature of their messaging. 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 the risks associated with gambling.”
It was noted that 45% of participants who watched 888’s “Made to Play Safely” video believed it portrayed gambling as harmless fun. For William Hill’s “Top Tips for Positive Play” advert, this figure stood at 38%.
Professor Ludvig stated: “The study shows that some so-called safer gambling videos produced by operators actually have a backfire effect: they encourage gambling and achieve the opposite of their stated purpose — helping people control how much they gamble.
These findings should be used to inform the development of truly effective safer gambling advertising campaigns and the creation of standards for assessing their impact.”
Other findings
The “Magnets” anti-stigma campaign video demonstrated a “protective effect,” reflected in a notable decrease in click-through rates. This may have been influenced by the personal storytelling and serious tone of the video, which helped foster greater awareness of gambling-related harms.
Survey results indicated that the video “helped normalize the perception of gambling problems as widespread, encouraged self-reflection, countered the idea that gambling is harmless fun, and was perceived as a trustworthy source of information — factors that may have strengthened its protective influence on behavior.”
Nevertheless, 15% of participants still felt the advert portrayed gambling as harmless entertainment.
Betfair’s “Play at Your Best” and the Betting and Gaming Council’s (BGC) “Take Time to Think” did not produce significant behavioral changes. The study noted that “Take Time to Think” “had no effect,” while “Play at Your Best” was described as having “a straightforward and clear communication style that did not backfire.”
In addition, researchers pointed out that these videos may offer “useful strategies for managing gambling but do not sufficiently encourage self-regulation or behavior change; they slightly increase gambling intentions and create an illusion of control without clearly influencing gambling decisions.”
Among participants, 39% believed that Betfair’s “Play at Your Best” suggested gambling was harmless fun, while 32% drew the same conclusion about the BGC’s “Take Time to Think.”
The Industry Cannot “Mark Its Own Homework”
According to GambleAware, research has shown that advertising created by the gambling industry itself increases the inclination to gamble among the most vulnerable groups — particularly young people and those showing signs of gambling addiction. For instance, 14% of participants aged 18–34 clicked on a pop-up advert offering a free bet, compared to just 4% among respondents aged 55 and older.
The organisation also reminded that gambling operators are required to allocate 20% of their digital and television advertising budgets to promoting safer gambling messages. However, prior to this study, there had been no proper monitoring of compliance with this requirement and no verified evidence of its effectiveness.
According to Alexia Clifford, Chief Communications Officer at GambleAware: “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.”
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