Leading British gambling education, prevention, and intervention organisation, GambleAware, recently concluded a randomised controlled trial on the effectiveness of gambling video advertising. Researchers found that some operator-led safer gambling videos encourage gambling rather than safer gambling. Ad campaigns promoting gambling as “harmless fun” are the primary reason behind this “backfire” effect.
Safer Gambling Ads Prove Ineffective: Highlights from the Study
- Researchers found that videos reinforcing the idea that gambling amounts to harmless fun create a false sense of security in consumers, downplaying the real risks of gambling.
- Though gambling operators are required to allocate 20% of their marketing budget for promoting safer gambling on digital channels, the lack of supervision and published evidence is apparent.
- The study revealed that those between the ages of 18 and 34 were three times more likely to indulge in gambling than people over 55 to click on a pop-up ad and place a free wager in a stimulated environment.
Operator Ads Causing “Backfire” Effect
According to the GambleAware research published on August 20, ads promoting safer gambling often encourage consumers to gamble more. The study was conducted by Thinks Insight & Strategy, a tactical consultancy firm and Elliot Ludvig, Professor of Psychology at the University of Warwick.
The study tested a randomised selection of ads produced by gambling operators with the intention of promoting responsible gambling practices, including setting time and deposit limits. Researchers concluded that none of the adverts were delivering the intended results.
Instead, researchers found that some campaigns encouraged consumers to gamble more. An ad campaign produced by GambleAware aimed at tackling the stigma around gambling harm was included in the GambleAware randomised controlled trial study for comparison. It was the only ad normalising gambling problems and countering the idea of gambling as harmless fun.
Operator-led gambling commercials often downplay the adverse effects of gambling, instead promoting wagering as “harmless fun”. This creates a false sense of security among players, leading to something that Professor Ludvig calls the “backfire” effect. Commenting on the situation, the professor explained:
This study was a Randomised Controlled Trial that tested the impact of different safer gambling advertising videos on people’s gambling behaviour, attitudes, and intentions. The aim was to produce evidence to inform guidance on the design of effective safer gambling advertising videos and to establish how to measure their impact.
Expanding on the “backfire effect”, Ludvig went on to add:
The study suggests that some safer gambling videos from gambling operators have a backfire effect, encouraging gambling and having the opposite effect to their intended purpose of helping people control how much they gamble. The findings from this experiment should be used to help guide the design of effective, safer gambling advertising videos and establish standards for measuring their impact.
GambleAware Calls for Strict Legislation, Enforcement, and Oversight
The study also found that nearly 45% of people who saw one operator’s ads felt that the video suggested gambling as “harmless fun”. Furthermore, safer gambling ads produced by operators increase gambling intentions among people aged 18 to 34. In fact, this demographic is thrice as likely to wager in a stimulated environment as those aged 55.
Reacting to the findings, Alexia Clifford, Chief Communications Officer at GambleAware, noted that the online gambling industry must be monitored and laws need to be enforced. Clifford also stressed the importance of more effective legislation and monitoring of operator-led ad campaigns:
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.
Clifford laid down possible suggestions as follows:
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.
The study also revealed that GambleAware was one of the most trusted brands for public safety, highlighting the importance of safer gambling and public health advice coming from independent sources. The UK charity is awaiting a managed closure of its services with a deadline for March 31, 2026, following the rollout of a statutory system addressing gambling harm.