This report contains the findings of research commissioned by GambleAware to look at the impact of gambling advertising and marketing on children, young people, and vulnerable adults. The research was led by Ipsos MORI and the Institute for Social Marketing at the University of Stirling.
The research shows that repeated exposure to gambling promotions can change perceptions and associations of gambling over time for children, young people, and vulnerable adults. It found that 96% of the 11–24-year-old participants had been exposed to gambling marketing messages in the last month, most commonly while watching TV. Certain types of adverts prompted emotional and cognitive responses that are likely to shape the attitudes of children, young people, and vulnerable adults, and increase their chances of gambling in the future.
Recommendations include the need for:
- Clearer safer gambling messages and campaigns.
- More effective safer gambling education initiatives targeted at children, young people, and parents.
- Advertising that appeals less to children, and that does not refer to complicated financial incentives.
- Better use of advertising technology to reduce the exposure of gambling adverts to children, young people, and vulnerable adults.
