The Responsible Gambling Advisory Board (RGAB) have shared their concerns that local children who watch Match of the Day could be targeted by gambling adverts, as they are exposed to such commercials over most of the programme. The advisers of the UK Government warned that country’s responsible authorities are involved in something which the Board called an “uncontrolled social experiment” to children at a time when more minors get exposed to gambling and such behaviour could end up having a long-term negative effect on them.
According to the Responsible Gambling Advisory Board, increased exposure to marketing and advertising materials promoted by operators was part of a process which was referred by some anti-gambling campaigners as the “normalisation” of gambling.
The independent adviser to the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) and the UK Government, respectively, commented that children and young people should not have been exposed to gambling advertising materials at all. It also shared its fears that the long-term effects of the recent phenomenon were still unknown, but there was a handful of good reasons for them to think they might be harmful. The Board further explained that the links between marketing and negative impact brought to the customers’ lives were clearly visible in other areas of public health.
The Responsible Gambling Advisory Board highlighted a recent study conducted by Goldsmiths, University of London, which showed that gambling operators’ branding or logos were screened for between 71% and 89% of the Match of the Day programme. Previously, the Church of England has insisted that a ban on gambling advertising before the 9:00 PM watershed must be imposed in order for the authorities to take care of children and young people in the country.
UKGC Pledges More Action on Gambling-Related Harm
Gambling advertising has recently been among the most-discussed topics related to spreading problem gambling behaviour. British broadcasting groups currently have the permission to show betting commercials before the 9:00 PM watershed during live football matches.
The Match of the Day programme is originally aired after the above-mentioned watershed, but it is then replayed on Sunday mornings and is currently pretty popular among British children and young people. The programme is also available on iPlayer.
Yesterday, the major gambling regulator in the UK – the Gambling Commission – has announced that more efforts must be invested in children protection from possible gambling-related harm. Gambling advertising issues, as well as its potential effect on children, has become one of the most-debated topics lately, with the matter becoming even more popular after the start of the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
The UKGC has revealed its plans to conduct more tests on gambling websites in order to make sure that their age verification checks are actually working. In addition, the gambling regulatory body plans to initiate a review to consider whether scratch-cards sold by the National Lottery should be available to individuals under the legal age of 18 and whether such scratch-cards should be displayed at supermarket checkouts alongside sweets and other items which are usually particularly attractive to children. The Commission has explained that more action was necessary on areas including exposure and access to gambling by minors and young individuals, digital and online risks, as well as gambling-related harm education, prevention and treatment.
- Author
Daniel Williams
