Across Australia, a major concern has been the recent proliferation of gambling advertising on television and during sports matches. Responsible gambling advocates are concerned that the advertising could lead to an increase in problem gambling rates among spectators – but a new study finds that this is not exactly the case.
The UK’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) requested a study from the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP) Gambling Review about the effects of advertising on problem gambling rates.
After investigation, the group has found that the country’s current advertising standards are sufficient, and gambling ads have not contributed to any rise in problem gambling rates across the United Kingdom. One of the major reasons for drawing this conclusion is the correlation between problem gambling rates and overall gambling ads in the UK.
There has been a significant increase in gambling advertising since 2005; however, there has not been an increasing in problem gambling rates. According to the report, there are two key indicators of gambling-related harm: gambling addiction and underage gambling. Both of these issues have remained at a low since 2007, even as gambling advertising continues to increase.
The report reads: “Both the academic literature and key metric data present a strong case for the effectiveness of the UK Advertising Codes (the Codes) in helping to meet a key regulatory objective of the Gambling Act 2005: protecting children and other vulnerable persons from being harmed or exploited by gambling.”
The report concludes that there is no need to introduce further harm minimisation measures with regards to gambling advertising in the UK.
While these particular findings may not entirely apply to gambling ads in Australia, they do offer interesting insight.
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