How warnings on betting adverts ‘are being ignored by gamblers’

WARNING messages on betting adverts are doing little to deter gamblers, a study has found.

Psychologists asked 506 volunteers to place small wagers after viewing gambling adverts, only some of which contained the industry slogan ‘When the fun stops, stop’.

Those who had seen the responsible gambling message bet more often than those who had not, found the University of Warwick researchers. They concluded it did not achieve its aim of promoting more responsible gambling.

All those who took part were fans of Premier League football and had experience of sports betting. Researchers also noted that the word ‘ fun’ in the slogan is printed in much larger letters than any other word in the message.

Dr Lukasz Walasek, one of the report’s authors, said: ‘The purpose of the “When the fun stops, stop” warning labels is to encourage more responsible gambling behaviour. Yet there is hardly any evidence suggesting that such labels are effective.’

Gillian Wilmot, of the industry’s Senet Group, which is responsible for the slogan, said: ‘Discouraging all betting was never its purpose. Instead it aims to get gamblers to pause and reflect. Last year, we initiated a review of the campaign, informed by a substantial behavioural study, and the new creative will reflect a change to the relative size of the word ‘fun’ in response to feedback.’

The Daily Mail has campaigned for greater protection for punters, with a ‘Stop the Gambling Predators’ campaign. Last week this newspaper revealed that the boss of Britain’s largest betting firm has been playing down the gambling crisis.

Kenny Alexander, of Ladbrokes Coral owner GVC, said he was ‘frustrated’ the firm still faced criticism over problem gambling. ‘I think there are far bigger social issues ... than problem gambling, that is my biggest frustration,’ he added.