Young kids 'lap up' betting ads on esports platforms

The gambling industry has been accused of making its online advertising vastly more appealing to children than adults, especially on esports platforms, triggering calls for much tighter regulations.

A new investigation, published as part of a policy briefing led by the University of Bristol, has shown “disguised” gambling marketing and ads were nearly four times more appealing to children than adults.

It also revealed nearly half of children are exposed to such advertising weekly and around a quarter encounter it daily and, while the vast majority of adults are wary or annoyed when faced with gambling ads, children mainly react positively.

The report’s authors are calling for an immediate ban on esports gambling advertising, which automatically appeals to children and young people, while it wants gambling content marketing, which masquerades as something appealing, to be rigorously regulated and informed by what is proven to attract young people.

They also want regulators to broaden the age range of a ‘young person’ from 16–17 to 16- to 24-year-olds and social media platforms should only allow gambling ads on social media when users actively opt-in to receive them.

Co-lead investigator Dr Raffaello Rossi, who is conducting the research into the use and impact of gambling advertising on social media, said: “The overwhelming strong appeal of gambling advertising on social media to children is of huge concern, as it is known the earlier people start gambling the more likely it will become habitual and problematic.

“That’s why there needs to be much stricter and clearer rules in place to clamp down on the issue, which could easily spiral out of control given how long children and young people spend on social media these days. Many of the adverts may look entirely innocent and harmless, but they in fact pose a serious risk of getting a whole new generation of gamblers hooked on a serious addiction which has devastating consequences.”

The report comes as the Gambling Act is being reviewed by the Government, and the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) has launched a consultation to better protect children from gambling advertising.

Kev Clelland, strategic alliance director at Young Gamers & Gamblers Education Trust, said: “The findings support the evidence we submitted to the Gambling Act Review, where we called for more to be done to minimise the exposure that children have to gambling advertising.

“All gambling advertising should be designed and displayed in a way that is appropriate for adults and avoids marketing techniques that appeal to children. There is opportunity to strengthen advertising protections and both the advertisers and the platforms which host adverts should use technology and data to do more.”

TOPICS:ad regulation ASA gambling marketing to children