Edited: The invasion of gambling adverts

The amount of gambling adverts in the media has increased at a staggering rate, however does this necessarily mean the amount of gambling is on the increase?

(credit: Peter Wallis)

In 2005, led by Tony Blair, the Labour government passed legislation allowing more freedoms in Gambling adverts. The Gambling Act 2005, implemented in 2007, allowed for the first time gambling to be advertised in broadcast media.

In a report produced by the Guardian in November 2013, the number of gambling adverts had risen by 600 per cent. 234,000 gambling adverts were shown in 2007 compared to 1.39 million in 2012. That is a worrying rise especially when there are already nearly a million “problem gamblers” and 500,000 “hard-core addicts” in the UK.

And will somebody think of the kids. The law allows gambling adverts to be shown before the watershed (9pm), meaning millions of people under 18 are exposed to a large frequency of adverts.

However the gambling advertising rules put in place by the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP), sister company to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) who are responsible for making and maintaining the advertising codes, specifically say adverts should not:

• “Be of particular appeal to children or young persons, especially by reflecting or being associated with youth culture.”

Nevertheless, no matter what industry you are in someone will break the rules.

Take for instance the Ladbrokes Life adverts, they clearly show a group of ‘lads’ enjoying the social advantages of gambling as one character, with the psuedonym ‘Generous John’, uses his winnings to take his friends go-karting a popular yet expensive activity enjoyed by men and women of all ages including under 18s.

David Stevens, betting giants Corals’ PR man, believes there is no harm in the frequency and content of gambling adverts. Mr Stevens adds “the number of adverts reflects the growing popularity of betting as a leisure activity in the UK, one enjoyed by many millions of adults every year.”

In an email interview, when asked if it was immoral or unethical to advertise gambling, Mr Stevens answered “No, why would it be immoral and unethical to advertise a legal, highly-regulated, popular activity?” Whilst gambling adverts are legal, highly regulated and a popular activity this does not necessarily make it acceptable. The content and frequency are the major issues not the actual permission of gambling adverts.

In a study composed by the Gambling Commission, findings show that gambling participation has steadily increased year after year. With such easy access via smartphones, people are able to bet simply by downloading an app, so are these results such a surprise?

GamAnon is a voluntary group that helps and assists people affected by gambling problems, and also aim to educate people of the gambling problem. I managed to ask Zoe, GamAnon’s Press Officer, a few questions on the topic. When asked about attendance at gambling help groups Zoe says “Having looked at our attendance record the number of people attending appears to have remained the same.” This could be interpreted to mean that although more people are gambling it is recreational rather than an addiction. Zoe adds, “It is impossible for our organisation to give a specific response”. In reference to gambling adverts being shown on television Zoe feels personally (not related to GamAnon) that they are “almost like a temptation for individuals trying to recover from the gambling problem”. This is where the issue of ethicality comes into place.

The effects of this are to be felt soon with the introduction of The Senet Group, an independent self-regulatory body that aims to promote responsible gambling. It is a body voluntarily created by William Hill, Coral, PaddyPower and Ladbrokes (the UK’s main betting giants) to make stricter rules in the gambling industry. For example, in the Guardian they stated “they will refrain from advertising sign-up offers that suggest new players can obtain ‘free bets’ or ‘free money’ before 9pm”.

Benjamin Glass, Communications Manager at the Gambling Commission also adds “From 1 November 2014, only gambling operators licensed by the Gambling Commission are allowed to advertise in Great Britain”. This sounds promising and could mean fewer and more responsible adverts in the near future.

In the audio report below Mark Flexman investigate how gambling advertisements have become an unwarranted part of our society.