A recent survey by GambleAware reveals significant public support for stricter regulations on gambling advertising in the UK. The survey, conducted in collaboration with Ipsos, included responses from 4,207 adults and highlighted the increasing concern over the prevalence and impact of gambling advertisements.

Demand for Increased Regulation

The survey, published on June 27, indicates that almost three-quarters (74%) of British consumers believe gambling advertisements should be regulated on social media, with 72% supporting increased regulation for television adverts. Additionally, 67% of respondents agreed that there are currently too many gambling advertisements and 66% expressed concern about their impact on children. Moreover, 61% of those surveyed opposed the use of gambling logos on football shirts, emphasizing the public’s desire for a change in how gambling is marketed, particularly in sports.

Impact of Gambling Ads on Behavior

The report also sheds light on the direct impact of gambling advertisements on individuals’ gambling behaviors. According to the survey, 24% of respondents who had gambled in the past year took gambling-related actions after seeing an advert. This figure jumps to 79% among those experiencing gambling-related problems, with 54% of this group stating that advertisements make it difficult to reduce their gambling activities. Furthermore, 51% reported that ads make it challenging to watch professional football without feeling the urge to place a bet.

GambleAware’s chief executive Zoë Osmond commented on the findings: “Exposure to gambling advertising normalizes gambling and makes it seem like just ‘harmless fun’ without showing the risks of gambling addiction and harm. This is why we have published our new report, to call on the next government to do more to regulate gambling advertising, particularly around sport where children and young people can see it.”

Proposed Measures for Safer Gambling Advertising

In response to the survey findings, GambleAware has proposed several measures to make gambling advertising safer. These include implementing a pre-watershed ban on broadcast advertising across television, radio, and video on demand. This would expand on the current voluntary whistle-to-whistle ban, covering only 2% of all broadcast gambling ads.

GambleAware also advocates for all advertisements to include independent, evidence-based health warnings with clear signposting to support services. This approach aims to help those needing assistance by directing them to appropriate resources.

Another recommendation is to ban gambling marketing at sports events, including removing sponsorships from sports clothing, merchandise, and stadiums. The Premier League has already agreed to phase out gambling logos on shirts by the 2026-27 season, and GambleAware suggests extending this ban to all sports.

Barriers to Seeking Help for Gambling Problems

Aside from advertising concerns, the report also addresses barriers to seeking help for gambling-related harm. It found that 64% of respondents who had experienced gambling problems had not spoken to anyone about it. The main reasons cited were feelings of shame or guilt (17%) and fear of judgment (13%).

Despite these barriers, the survey reveals that 76% of those who did seek help felt better after doing so, and 63% believed they would have felt better if they had sought help sooner. The primary motivations for seeking support included gambling’s negative impact on mental health (23%), financial issues (22%), and the desire for help to stop gambling (21%).

Source:

GambleAware study suggests public support for gambling advertising restrictions, igamingbusiness.com, June 27, 2024.

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An ad that featured the famous YouTube star and boxer, Jake Paul, captured the attention of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), the UK’s regulator in charge of advertising. In a post on Twitter from February, the leading betting and gaming operator, Ladbrokes, submitted a poll asking the audience to predict what can Paul expect after he lost a fight due to a split decision against Tommy Fury.

In the post, Ladbrokes wrote: “TommyTNTFury beat JakePaul by split decision last night. So, we’ve got to ask the question… What’s next for Jake Paul? Vote here now [downward pointing finger emoji].” Then, at the bottom of the post, the operator submitted a poll with the options: “Win the re-match”, “Head to the MMA”, “Return to YouTube”, and “Join the WWE.”

In light of the post, the ASA sought to determine if Ladbrokes used a personality that may appeal strongly to customers under the legal gambling age which is 18. Under the current gambling advertising regulations, restrictions are implemented that seek to prevent any gambling operator from using images, personalities, faces or other methods in ads that can appeal to anyone under the legal gambling age.

The Ad Was Irresponsible, Says the Authority

Upon reviewing the ad, the ASA explained that the CAP Code clearly prohibits any communications for gambling products from being appealing to children. Despite boxers being a part of a sport that is mostly adult-oriented, the ASA said that such personalities can be considered as a “moderate risk in terms of how likely they were to be of strong appeal to under-18s.”

The Authority explained that Paul has a strong presence within multiple social media platforms with some of his followers under the legal gambling age. Approximately 3 million people were registered under the age of 18 as followers of the boxing star via TikTok and YouTube. Despite that, an overwhelming majority of his fans remain within the legal age, said the ASA.

Still, given Paul’s strong presence on social media and his participation in a TV program called Bizaardvark between 2016 and 2018, the ASA concluded that the “ad was irresponsible and breached the Code.” As a result, the Authority urged Ladbrokes not to include persons or characters that may have an appeal to persons under 18 and said that the ad “must not appear again in its current form.”

Once Ladbrokes was aware of the ASA’s probe, the company said that the ad didn’t offer any promotions or links to its website. Additionally, the operator argued that its feed on Twitter is protected by a restriction that doesn’t allow anyone under the age of 18 to access it. The operator said that upon posting the poll it was aware that Paul didn’t have a “significant role in boxing or general profile within the sport,” making him more appealing to audiences that are over the legal gambling age.

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A few weeks after posting its Q1 results, Wynn Resorts announced that it has once again found its way into The Civic 50 list. This highlights the positive impact the company is having on its local communities.

Created in 2012, The Civic 50 is a list curated by Points of Light that sets a national standard for superior corporate citizenship. The initiative honors companies that use their time, skill and resources to improve the quality of life in the communities they are present in.

Rather than being a ranking system, the list includes the top 50 companies in alphabetical order, praising their commitment. To qualify for the list, a company needs to have annual revenue of $1 billion or more and be actively committed to making a positive local impact.

Wynn Resorts is, for the third year in a row, present on the list, attesting to the time, talent and resources it spends on enriching its communities and making a positive change.

What Did Wynn Do to Deserve the Honors?

Wynn Resorts’ tremendous work in 2022 saw it significantly improve its social impact. The company employees in North America volunteered more than 28,000 hours in 2022, which is twice the time they did in 2021. Encore Boston Harbor, for example, saw three times the volunteering activity it recorded in 2021. In total, Wynn offered over 180 volunteer events.

In addition, thousands of Wynn employees donated to charity. In 2022, over 2,500 donated more than $800,000 to various causes. This is notably the highest sym Wynn employees have given to charities and is in line with its corporate culture. Wynn Resorts itself donated $2.8 million to North American charities across various sectors.

Wynn also packed 1 million+ meals for organizations that deal with food shortages, especially in Nevada and Boston.

Finally, the operator introduced a non-profit leadership retreat, bringing together company executives, third-party collaborators and charity organizations to create synergies within the nonprofit sector.

Moradkhan: Wynn Employees Want to Make the World Better

Monica Moradkhan, Wynn Resorts’ VP of community relations, commented on the honors received by her company. She said that Wynn Resorts will continue to champion its communities and put focus on enhancing the quality of life in the destinations where it operates.

From volunteer efforts to personal donations, this recognition is a testament to the compassion of Wynn employees who are dedicated to making the world a better place.

Monica Moradkhan, VP of community relations, Wynn Resorts

A few days ago, Wynn rolled out the first concept images of its planned Al Marjan Casino Resort in the UAE. The company is bullish on getting a local business started and recreating the Vegas Strip in the country.

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The Phillipines’ Anti-money Laundering Council has released the report of the study it conducted into the junket sector of the country’s casino industry, especially in terms of suspicious transactions and terrorism financing. Findings from its analysis made the body conclude that the casino sector needs to put in place stronger procedures to combat money laundering and terrorism financing.

With The Phillipines being on the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force due to lax AML/CTF controls, the AMLC decided to launch an investigation into the casino sector. While the investigation uncovered several issues, one of the main discoveries of the investigation is the non-reporting of multiple transactions by casino junket operators.

The Phillipines casino sector permits junket operators who persuade high-rollers with incentives like all-expense paid accomodations just to get them to gamble at a partnering casino. But the agreement is that all transactions made while gambling must be reported to the casino.

However, the AMLC’s analysis revealed that junket operators have failed in complying with this procedure. The body gave an instance at an unnamed integrated resort where a junket operator repeatedly failed to file a suspicious transactions report despite such occuring even up to the tune of Php1.58 billion (US$29 million). This is asides several other instances of non-compliance by junket operators.

The body noted: “The heavy use of physical cash by casino players of covered and suspicious transactions by certain casino junket operators contributes to the [issue], coupled with the non-reporting vulnerability of high-risk integrated resorts to money laundering risks,”

This has made the AMLC note four key risk areas casino operators should watch out for as they deal with junkket operators. This includes violation of junket agreements; the involvement of junket operators in criminal conspiracy; the purchase of chips with small-denomination currency, followed by modest gambling actions; and conduct of financial transactions not commensurate with declared source of funds.

With Macau closing down junket operations in its casino sector, other countries are starting to take a hard look at how junkets operate and how to mitigate the risks.

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