Gambling industry blitz urges restraint from agencies

online-casino1Gambling watchdog The Senet Group is attempting to combat the storm over the industry’s alleged pursuit of vulnerable consumers by launching a new ad campaign which will target digital agencies, as well as consumers, in an effort to get its “responsible gambling” message across.
The move follows a raft of negative media stories claiming that many digital agencies are using third-party data to deliberately target consumers on lower incomes, as well as ASA rulings against affiliate marketing campaigns.
Launched to coincide with the national Responsible Gambling Week in the UK, the group is joining forces with GambleAware to place standalone advertising in a number of live football matches and more than 2,000 ads on channels and programmes across broadcast media.
The ads are being strategically placed to include periods when a significant percentage of TV viewers are likely to gamble online. Senet Group hopes the campaign will be seen 30 million times on TV within the next three months.
The campaign will also target social media channels like ODDSbible and digital marketing agencies that can target messages precisely to younger regular gamblers.
In a statement announcing the launch, The Senet Group’s Independent Standards Commissioner Wanda Goldwag said: “We know our messaging works, with more than 80% of players recognising our messages to set limits, only gamble what’s affordable and not to put play ahead of family and friends. Surveys tell us millions may have changed their gambling habits as a result or taken the campaign as a prompt to raise a gambling concern with family or friends.”
“TV advertising is a key element but we need also to understand and follow our market. There is a generation who watch less television or who do so engage on social media.”
“The gambling sector can reach out to these players and those in Senet membership will always be carrying responsibility messages. We need to be equally smart at getting our messages across, and in a tone that works with this audience.”

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