New study reveals effective strategy to counter gambling advertising

A study led by Swansea University has indicated that showing people a counter-advertising video increased their resistance to gambling advertisements.

A team of psychologists from Swansea University, University of Bristol, and CQ University, Australia, tested the counter-advertising video on 1,200 young adult gamblers and found it increased scepticism towards gambling ads and decreased the uptake of 'free offers' advertised by the gambling industry.

Dr Jamie Torrance, the lead researcher from Swansea University said:

"Gambling ads are impossible to escape. Whether it's the 30-second spots plastered all over live sports, the chirpy jingles worming their way into your head during TV breaks, or the endless pop-ups online, the betting industry is always shouting for your attention. It's no wonder the UK gambling industry spends a jaw-dropping £1.5 billion on gambling advertising each year."

The research team decided to turn the tables on these ads and tested a bold counter-advertising approach that used the gambling industry's own tactics, such as snappy messaging, visual examples, and satire, resulting in a counter-advertising video that did not sell dreams but instead exposes the strategies used by gambling companies.

The effects of this counter advertising video were tested in online experiment involving 1,200 young adult gamblers - and it worked. After watching the video, viewers were significantly more sceptical of gambling advertising - a scepticism that lasted even a month later. Even better, the video led to a significant reduction in viewers engaging with so-called 'free' betting offers, with 21% of them stopping altogether - which the team say is a compelling sign that consumers can be taught to spot the hustle.

Dr Torrance said: "This research is timely - with the UK government rolling out a new gambling levy, the nation is grappling with the uncomfortable truth about how deeply embedded betting has become in everyday life. From football kits to prime-time TV, gambling is sold as part of the fun. But scratch beneath the surface, and it's a multi-billion-pound industry built on persuasion - and losses."

The study team say that the sheer scale of the problem is staggering. Research shows that the average UK viewer sees up to 1,500 TV commercial and online gambling advertisements a year. Football fans have it even worse - a recent season of Premier League matches featured a gambling-related logo every 10 seconds during broadcasts.

Despite these promising findings, no single solution can tackle an industry this entrenched. The £1.5 billion advertising machine won't stop spinning on its own. But counter-advertising is a step towards giving people the tools to resist the glossy allure of gambling ads - and it's a step worth taking.

Dr Torrance said:

"So much work has been conducted within psychology and public health to better understand the tactics used in gambling advertising. However, the findings are often relegated to scientific journals. We want to redirect this knowledge back to the public for the sake of consumer protection. Our aim is to help the public equip themselves with the cognitive tools to recognise and resist gambling ads."

Clive Tyldesley, professional football commentator who is supportive of efforts to reduce the impacts of gambling advertising, said:

"By playing the betting companies at their own game and using the same approach to delivering these important cautionary messages, these videos will hopefully hit home every bit as hard. We all know gambling doesn't materially pay but it's worth being reminded of its futility in the same language that it is sold to us."

Will Prochaska, leader of the Coalition to End Gambling Ads said:

"This study shows that if the public are armed with the facts about how the gambling industry operates, they're far less susceptible to being lured into using harmful products. But we shouldn't be being misled in the first place - the Government should put an end to gambling advertising as a priority."

The research, which was funded by the Academic Forum for the Study of Gambling (AFSG), is published in the Addiction journal.

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