Ukgc Calls for New Marketing Debate

Discontent on all levels

Angus continued that British consumers' trust in gambling is currently exceptionally low - in terms of advertising volume, there have been complaints almost weekly since the beginning of the year: "Stop bombarding me with gambling advertising!" was the wording of a symptomatic email, which Angus commented as follows:

"This is the moral response to a growing nuisance. Reflected by most critics, including a growing number of researchers and scientists, is genuine concern about the unknown impact of gambling advertising and sports sponsorship on children and young people."

The dissatisfaction is therefore all-encompassing and has also been expressed in media headlines for a long time: “Irresponsible marketing practices” is the uniform credo here - which is why there is now an increasing number of applications in the British Parliament calling for “drastic regulatory measures”. Ignoring the facts would therefore be “highly unwise” for the industry.

In its own interest, the industry is “urgently encouraged” to take the warnings from politicians and the public seriously in order to prevent a “storm” of new advertising regulations. The Trade press quoted in this context:

"My advice to you is: A storm is gathering, but it can be avoided. Learn from the mistakes of the past - pay attention to what the public says and put responsible advertising standards at the heart of your business. Don't wait for the storm clouds to burst and legal precautions to be taken."

“Unfortunate failures”

Finally, Ian Angus referred to some “unfortunate failures” that are said to have led to the current tense situation. The British bookmaking industry has been “strongly disappointed”, particularly in the area of bonus marketing – advertising regulations that have been well established over the years expressly prohibit misleading customers and have nevertheless been disregarded several times within a short period of time. However, despite possible warnings, the sector did not act. The director made it clear:

"It took various ASA rulings, millions of pounds in fines and a comprehensive investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority to ensure sector-wide compliance. This has caused incalculable damage to the industry's reputation which could and should have been avoided."

In fact, illegal gambling advertisements came into focus exceptionally frequently over the summer alone: The British advertising regulator ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) only issued a ban on Ladbrokes advertising for under-18s in mid-June. During the World Cup, the authority also received more than 115 complaints about the bookmakers William Hill and bet365. Recently, various sports betting offers on the junior websites of 15 British football clubs made headlines.

The fact that the supervisory authorities UKGC and CMA are cooperating is hardly surprising given this amount of anomalies. In this sense, the legislative promises of the UKGC program director could - or rather will - come true if the UK gambling industry does not give in. It remains to be seen whether there will be any statements or even suggestions from the operators in a timely manner.

UKGC calls for new marketing debate