Gambling advertising

The trend in the development of the gambling industry over the past few years has been the tightening of the rules for advertising products and services related to gambling. This is especially true for European markets. Attitudes towards advertising and the industry as a whole are fueled by fears of the spread of gambling problem and the participation of minors in gambling entertainment.

There’s a number of general principles that combine restrictive measures in relation to the advertising of risk-based games. Outdoor advertising, as a rule, is characterized by several such measures. The main one is territorial. This refers to the prohibition of placing advertising banners near educational, medical or spiritual objects. The size of advertising products and/or the content of appeals may also be regulated.

For gambling advertising on the Web, the main prohibition is the publication of marketing materials on sites whose audience is minors. In commercials, the use of cartoon characters may be prohibited. The main purpose of introducing such prohibitions is to prevent the participation of children and minors in games.

In various countries, it’s customary to regulate the value content of gambling advertising. So, it’s not allowed to give the impression that the win is something guaranteed, and the risk of loss of funds is minimized. In addition, users should not have the impression that participation in gambling raises their social status.

The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has released data that suggests that minors in Britain are less exposed to the risks of gambling ads on television.

The indicators are satisfactory, despite the increase in the number of gambling advertisements for promotions.

The number of commercials that could be watched by minors was reduced from 4.4 to 3.2. When analyzing the situation, a comparison was made between 2013 and 2018.

Gambling ads accounted for 2.2% of the total mass of marketing ads viewed on television last year. Previously, gambling ads were only 2% of the ads. During the analysis, data for the period between 2008 and 2017 were taken into account.

Representatives of the regulator noted that indicators may be due to changes in user habits. Previously, television was the main advertising channel, but now the Internet is in first place in popularity.

Most of the gambling videos are dedicated to promoting bingo and lottery products. In 2013, bingo ads that could be viewed by minors were shown a maximum of 1.9 times a week. The indicator of 2018 was 0.9. Relocations of lotteries and scratch cards can be viewed once a week. The indicator is stable.

The peak of advertising of betting products came in 2011, then a minor could catch the eye of one video a week. Current data indicate that in the present, young users can see less than one video per week.

On average, five commercials viewed by adults account for one ad that a minor saw.

At the same time, the regulator notes that the advertising rules for the indicated period practically did not change.

In addition to these indicators, the regulator also monitors the level of impact of gambling advertising on minors.

According to a study in the UK, citizens acquire bad gambling habits before they turn 20.