The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) which represents the legal gambling sector in the UK urged British lawmakers to encourage social media companies to collaborate with licensed gambling operators in a move aimed at providing better protection to young adults and self-excluded people against gambling ads.
The organisation, which currently operates as the trade body for the country’s gambling sector, has noted that the popularity of online gambling services rapidly increased over the last few years, especially after the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic and the temporary closures of all gambling and entertainment venues at the time. Apart from that, advertising across social media websites has made online gambling even more popular to British customers, with the close links being created between the two industries raising questions about the potential negative impact social media advertising could have on local gamblers.
Earlier this week, the Betting and Gaming Council confirmed submitting a written statement to the UK Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer MP. The gambling industry’s trade body has urged the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and social media companies for support as part of a wider effort to ensure maximum protection for vulnerable groups of people that are more susceptible to gambling-related harm.
Social Media Platforms’ Support Needed to Avoid Gambling Ads Targeting Self-Excluded and Vulnerable Customers
In its recent letter to the DCMS and the Culture Secretary, the trade body of the local gambling industry explained that its members have vowed to protect certain age groups from the potential negative effect of gambling adverts and impose limits regarding gambling adverts that could target self-excluded customers. The Betting and Gaming Council, however, claims that licensed gambling companies’ engagement will not be enough and they would need support from social media platforms in order to effectively protect vulnerable customers.
The organisation called for the UK Culture Secretary to request social media platforms join forces with licensed gambling operators in the country to make sure they do their best to tackle the potential negative impact of gambling advertising. According to the trade body, such collaboration could benefit about 300,000 people who have already opted out of gambling services and became part of self-exclusion schemes such as GAMSTOP. Apart from that, the Betting and Gaming Council supported a marketing suppression scheme that would encourage Brits to register with the aforementioned self-exclusion programme and make sure they no longer receive gambling adverts when using social media platforms.
The recent announcement of the BGC comes a bit over a month after the Government finally unveiled its Gambling Act White Paper which is expected to eventually bring some significant changes to the country’s gambling regulatory framework. While those changes become reality, the members of the trade organisation have agreed to target only audiences over the age of 25 with their adverts, unless platforms are able to provide evidence and verify that their targeting is accurately aimed at individuals over the age of 18.
The chief executive officer of the Betting and Gaming Council – Michael Dugher – has explained that restricting advertisements from legal gambling operators to audiences aged 25+ is not possible without the effective assistance of social media platforms. According to him, such a collaboration would be a sensible solution to many issues, which BGC members were eager to implement. However, cooperation of social media platforms would be crucial to make sure the limits imposed to protect young people and problem gamblers actually work.
- Author
Daniel Williams
