If a business wants to be successful, advertising and sponsorship are two key tools that can be used. The UK gambling industry (online casinos and sportsbooks) has relied on them both to spread awareness of their product. That might not be so easy for them, especially brand new casinos, in the future.
There continues to be criticism of the number of gambling advertisements. This applies not just to television but also to radio and on social media. There have been restrictions placed on them in the past but still campaigners want to see the number reduced.
The Advertising Standards Authority are not shy when it comes to taking action against gambling companies and recently banned a Paddy Power advertisement. The view was that it showed someone putting gambling ahead of their family.
One concern that campaigners have is the use of sports personalities, reality TV stars and social media influencers in gambling advertisements. This is to be banned this year as the ASA looks to protect those that are vulnerable and also under 18s. There are already rules in place that ban anyone under the age of 25 being in a gambling advertisement.
It’s common to see the likes of Harry Redknapp, Michael Owen, Jose Mourinho and Cristiano Ronaldo feature in gambling advertisements. These will not be allowed in the UK once the ban comes into force in October 2022. That’s an important time to introduce the rules. The following month sees the beginning of the 2022 World Cup. That’s a tournament in which betting companies such as Betfred will be keen to advertise their offers.
The Committee of Advertising Practice is responsible for setting the rules that the ASA then enforces. Their director is Shahriar Coupal who said that there will be “no more social media influencers, TV stars or other celebrities popular with children inviting us to bet on red.”
Nor will video game images or “gameplay familiar to many children’s lives” be seen. According to the ASA, children see an average of 2.2 gambling advertisements every week.
The ASA do not have any powers when it comes to regulating gambling sponsorship of sports teams. There will be nothing they can do about all the pitch side gambling advertisements that are likely to be seen during the World Cup.
Sponsorship of sport by gambling companies is another area that may see changes in the coming future. Many campaigners are calling for all such sponsorship to be ended. Others seem to be placing emphasis on just the English Premier League.
Sky Bet sponsors the English Football League (EFL) and neither party wants to see that come to an end. If it did, the EFL claim it could cost the 72 clubs in the league around £40 million. A concern for them is that while Premier League clubs would not find it too difficult to find new sponsors, that isn’t the case for a club in League One or League Two.
It’s unlikely that the upcoming White Paper will see the government trying to ban sports sponsorship. They appear to be more keen to have a voluntary agreement by the clubs. However, with Everton and Bournemouth both recently signing deals with gambling companies, is that likely to happen
This is a worrying time for the UK gambling industry. Change is on its way and not just being applied by the government. The UK Gambling Commission and the ASA are both going to cause a few nightmares in the future.
