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Gambling with your luck?

Posted in General, Advertising March 30th, 2007 by Melinda Varley

The online gaming and gambling industry has received somewhat of a push lately following news reports that advertising rules are going to be relaxed. However, under the Gaming Act 2005, how exactly is responsible gaming defined?

Following the publication of the first in a series of statistical studies by the UK Gambling Commission, the amount of people betting has almost doubled as gambling over the internet booms in Britain. 

Further enhancing the number of gamblers in the UK, new rules will come into operation in the UK this September that will allow casinos, betting shops and online gambling sites to advertise.

As part of the Act, adverts will still be banned during shows aimed at under 18s and anyone who appears to be under 25 cannot be shown gambling on TV or radio. Advertisers must also not depict gambling as a solution to debt or promote gambling as a link to sexual success or enhanced self image.

So how do advertisers seek to promote gambling institutions? Many lately, such as Foxy Bingo and Ladbrokes have opted to advertise gambling as a solution to boredom, while many others are still using the ‘massive winnings’ or ‘instant’ wins as its main point of attraction.

While all these things are of course true, there’s a clear indication that these ads primarily appeal to people who are indeed desperate and vulnerable when it comes to their financial situation.

Using terminology such as ‘it’s never been this easy’ will sway anyone towards the dangerous act of gambling as chances of winning are not that great, it’s not really that easy and the fact that there is probably a one in a million chance of you winning millions isn’t properly portrayed.

Coincidently, gambling isn’t all fun and games if these odds are anything to go by:

Winning £8 on a fruit machine: 600 to 1
Winning fifty thousand on a scratch card jackpot: 2.57million to 1
Winning a lottery jackpot: 14.5 million to 1
Football pools win: 7.5 million to 1
 
According to the statistics released by the Commission, the amount of people who gamble either over the internet, via their mobile phones or interactive TV has risen from 39 per cent to 57 per cent in a period of 5 years. A growing market or a problem?