UK gambling companies planning addiction awareness campaign?

The UK newspaper The Guardian continued its anti-gambling run of negative stories over the weekend, claiming that it has had sight of documents that indicate the gambling industry is planning to mitigate the impact of next month’s gambling review publication by offering to fund a GBP 8 million anti-addiction awareness campaign.

The newspaper reports that the Labour Party has already warned that the industry must not be permitted to use the campaign as a “stitch up” to stave off expected tighter regulation of gambling advertising.

The government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is scheduled to publish its gambling industry review within the next few weeks, with speculation rife regarding what its recommendations may be regarding advertising and marketing restrictions and the controversial topic of minimum stakes on fixed odds betting machines (FOBTs).

The Guardian claims that gambling companies, broadcasters and the advertising industry have responded to the threats that may be inherent in the review with a joint offer of a “national campaign” to “show off their commitment to tackling addiction.”

In one exchange circulated among gambling companies and trade bodies, the idea for the campaign is described as a “consequence of the government’s gambling review”, the newspaper reveals.

The deputy leader of the Labour Party, Tom Watson (who recently called for football shirt sponsorships to be stopped) told The Guardian that the timing of the initiative was worrying, coming as the government considers whether to impose tighter restrictions on betting adverts to tackle concerns about problem gambling.

“There must be no stitch-up to help the gambling industry avoid tighter restrictions on advertising,” he said. “Industry-funded campaigns highlighting the risks of problem gambling are all very well, but they can’t be an alternative to regulation.”

The Guardian claims that the Remote Gambling Association, an online gambling trade association, will fund some of the planned anti-addiction campaign, along with industry responsible gambling body Senet. The Advertising Association is also planning to contribute, while commercial TV channels, which count gambling firms among their biggest advert buyers, will make a “contribution in kind,” understood to mean free airtime.

The plan is reportedly being coordinated by the Industry Group for Responsible Gambling (IGRG), but industry divisions have already become apparent, with the National Casino Forum, Bingo Association, and Bacta, the trade body for amusement arcades, all refusing to put money in.

The newspaper alleges that since 2012 the gambling industry has spent GBP 1.4 billion on media and TV advertising.

The IGRG has rejected as “unreasonable” suggestions that the UK follows Australia in imposing a ban on gambling adverts shown alongside live sporting events.

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