Gambling advertising has a “limited” effect on young people and problem gambling behaviour according to a new report by the two self-regulatory bodies that write and maintain the UK Advertising Codes.
The Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP) Gambling Review was conducted following a request by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) which has overall responsibility for the regulation of the UK’s gambling industry.
It found that, despite a vast increase in the amount of gambling advertising since the Gambling Act 2005, existing regulations are satisfactory.
“We know gambling can be a contentious issue which is why there are strict rules in place to ensure it’s advertised responsibly,” CAP director Shahriar Coupal said.
“While our review shows that our regulation of gambling ads is effective, we’re staying vigilant and will act where evidence shows that children or vulnerable people might be at risk.”
The report said that “CAP and BCAP are satisfied that the evidence does not present a case for new gambling advertising rules or a new approach to how we develop them”.
It added: “Both the academic literature and key metric data present a strong case for the effectiveness of the UK Advertising Codes (the Codes) in helping to meet a key regulatory objective of the Gambling Act 2005: protecting children and other vulnerable persons from being harmed or exploited by gambling.”
The report said that the two key indicators of gambling-related harm – problem gambling and underage participation – are at low levels and trends suggest they have been in decline since 2007 during a period of very significant growth in advertising volumes.
Further, it says that the academic literature points to gambling advertising having a potential impact but, in relation to problem gambling, the impact is found to be relatively small.
CAP and BCAP are confident that the evidence does not present a case for tighter restrictions, such as broader prohibitions on advertising in certain media.
However, the report added that it would remain vigilant over advertising from the gambling industry as it reflected upon the caution shown by Dr Per Binde in his recent review on behalf of the Responsible Gambling Trust.
The report said: “Dr Binde’s review identifies limitations to the evidence base and argues for the need to improve the wider understanding of gambling related harms.
“We welcome the call for continuing vigilance and more methodologically advanced research in this important area and will continue to work pro-actively to ensure the UK Advertising Codes continue to set the necessary level of restriction to ensure gambling advertising remains responsible.”
source : www.igamingbusiness.com
