A new study cited by the Christian Institute found that local media during the English Premier League’s (EPL) opening weekend were flooded by gambling-related adverts.
Research commissioned by 5 News found that British viewers of the Premier League were literally bombarded with thousands of gambling messages across TV and radio sports news, selected match coverage, and social media channels between August 11th and 14th, 2023. As a result, the Christian Institute scolded the gambling review of the UK Government for its failure to tackle much-expanded gambling advertising.
Experts from the University of Bristol believe that the overwhelming and inevitable nature of gambling messages during the opening weekend of the English Premier League was the most compelling revelation. The study in question found a mindblowing number of 10,999 gambling messages that were distributed at the time across all media channels. This figure translates to an average of 2,750 messages every day or 115 messages per hour.
According to reports based on the new study’s findings, broadcast coverage of six matches that featured during the opening weekend of the latest season of the English Premier League accounted for 63% of all gambling messages recorded, with the majority of gambling adverts featuring the brand names or logos of gambling and betting operators.
UK Gambling Sector and Local Media Channels Face Criticism for Boosting the Association between Gambling and Football
As mentioned above, specialists from the University of Bristol criticised both the gambling industry and the local media channels for vastly targeting British football lovers with the immense number of adverts aired at the beginning of the new EPL seasons. They further highlighted the impact that gambling logos may have on some individuals’ addiction, saying that the increased number of betting sponsorships in football creates an unhealthy association between gambling and football that may push more vulnerable people to become more focused on gambling services than before.
As Casino Guardian already reported, the last few years have seen an increased association between gambling and football due to the large number of gambling sponsorship agreements inked between professional football clubs and online gambling operators. Both the English Premier League and the gambling sector have faced increased criticism for creating such a link that would put more vulnerable individuals and recovering gambling addicts in an unfavourable position by exposing them to gambling branding and logos.
Earlier in October, Stuart Andrew MP, the country’s Sports Minister, claimed that no direct link between gambling advertising and gambling-related harm existed.
The NHS Northern Gambling Service’s Clinical Lead Dr Matt Gaskell, however, challenged the claims in the Sports Minister’s statement, saying there was clear evidence that increased gambling advertising boosted consumption which increases gambling-related harm. He noted that was a well-known fact, and as a result, a large number of European countries have taken action to protect their communities through the implementation of strict advertising limits.
- Author
Daniel Williams
