Know the facts
By understanding how gambling products and gambling companies are focused on keeping us playing – even though there is risk of addiction or harm – we are able to make more informed decisions about whether to take part. Knowing the facts will help us to talk confidently about the advertising methods and sales tactics which encourage people to gamble. By understanding what is happening we can be supportive to people we know are gambling and begin to make change.
Scale of the
problem
Gambling
harms
Sales
tactics
Addictive
products
Scale of the problem
1 in 12 people are either directly or indirectly affected by gambling related harms[1] and the UK has one of the biggest gambling markets in the world, generating a profit of £14.2 billion in 2020[2].
Ready to do something about it? Take action
1.44 million adults are addicted to gambling in the UK[1] and 1 in 4 gamblers are at a substantially higher risk of suffering serious harm[2]. The biggest change in the gambling landscape is a shift to online play, reflecting our lifestyles in general but also allowing us to be directly targeted through daily incentives.
Gambling harms
Gambling can harm people in different ways.
Poor mental health and wellbeing, relationship breakdown, problems at work or school and financial difficulties. All of these things can be experienced directly by the person who gambles or indirectly by the family, friends, and colleagues of someone who gambles[1].
Ready to do something about it? Take action
The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities and Public Health England examined financial harms in 31 studies. One high quality study reported that an increase in the number of electronic gaming venues in a local area increased the number of personal bankruptcies in that area. There was also considerable evidence from the qualitative studies that gambling directly causes financial harm to gamblers and their close associates, particularly intimate partners[1].
Addictive products
Gambling products are designed to keep us playing – increasing their addictive potential. They are designed to make us play more, spend more and lose more. The speed of play and the prize structure are all deliberate design features to keep us playing.
It is estimated that up to 1.44 million adults are addicted to gambling in Great Britain[1].
Ready to do something about it? Take action
Gambling engages the part of our brain that releases dopamine – a ‘feel good’ hormone that creates feelings of pleasure and reward. When we win a bet, our brain gives us an emotional reward[1]. Online gambling is an area of high risk with research indicating that 14% of participants had experienced a gambling ‘binge’, with 24% of those bingeing having done so on online slots[2].
Gambling on online slots, casino or bingo machines is associated with some of the highest rates of gambling risk as there is evidence to suggest that 45% of people using them are at risk of harm[3].
Sales tactics
Each year £1.5 billion is spent per year on gambling advertising and British people lose more than £11 billion – this is equivalent to nearly £164 for every adult and child in the UK[1].
Sales tactics such as incentives, free spins and free offers are used to lure us in, but rules on cashing out and number of plays are only found in the small print and terms and conditions[2].
Ready to do something about it? Take action
A third of gamblers said that marketing prompted them to spend money and 18.6% of people said being offered a free bet re-started their gambling[1]. 31% of people struggling with gambling think free bets or bonus offers encourage them to gamble more than they want to[2].
Little rewards keep us hooked. our brains start to rely on the thrill of quick
Buzzes, flashes and pings
