Ban Gambling Advertising

TG urges HM Government to amend existing legislation, with reference to Advertising to Gamble in the Gambling Act 2005, so as to ban public advertising which encourages the practice of gambling, in the same way that advertising the use of tobacco is banned.

This mandate was passed in June 2015 at the TG AGM in Glasgow. We are now asking members to contact various gambling companies asking them to explain and justify their advertising strategies and to make them aware of their concerns.

Using social media If contacting a company via Facebook or Twitter, please do direct them towards this page and mark any tweets or statuses you post with #BanGamblingAds .

Taking Action

In the Winter 2015 issue of Townswoman we outlined our current plan of action when it comes to this mandate. Presently we ask all members who are willing to support our efforts to see that this important topic is addressed. The key questions we are seeking to find answers for are:

• What methods do companies use currently to devise their advertising strategies?


• Do they think their adverts adequately stress the importance of responsible gambling?


• Do they think their adverts do enough to ensure that gambling isn't overly glamorised?


• Are they satisfied that their adverts do enough to avoid appealing to children/teenagers?


• How do online casinos/gambling sites justify such large sign-up bonuses for new players?


• Do online gambling sites set any limits that would stop any excessive gambling, be that monetary or time spent on the site in any one go?


• Are companies satisfied that they do enough to prevent problem gambling?

For many companies, the easiest way to contact them is via email or the contact forms on their websites; however, as many of these are general email addresses it can be difficult to know that your message is getting to the right person.  

This is where social media can help! If you are on Facebook, many companies have their own pages and you could post to those pages asking who the best person would be to contact in relation to their advertising policy. If they ask why, tell them that you are participating in an information-gathering exercise on behalf of TG.  If you find no joy, do still send an email to the address you have and follow that up with a post to their Facebook page saying that you have done so. This allows for greater public accountability - though this does not mean you can pester them ceaselessly as this will reflect more on you than on them.

Twitter is another avenue to connect with companies, if in a more limited capacity - you have only 140 characters in which to convey your message but that is more than enough for a simple Direct Message of "Who is the best person to contact to talk about your company's advertising?"

Again, if this doesn't work out, use the generic address and post to your Twitter feed:

"Just emailed @(companytwitter) to find out their views on #gamblingads #BanGamblingAds"

By including the company's twitter, you ensure this will show up on their feed; by using the hashtags your tweet will show up to anyone who searches that tag and you might find some allies to your cause.

References

If you would like more information about gambling and the problems it can cause, or are wondering where to source possible speakers to attend a Guild meeting or event, the links below should prove a good place to start.

GRASP Group
(Eugene Farrar of GRASP group was our speaker in favour of the mandate at the AGM)
http://www.grasp-group.org/ 
https://twitter.com/TheGraspGroup

GamCare
http://www.gamcare.org.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/gamcare
https://twitter.com/GamCare

Remote Gambling Society
http://www.rga.eu.com/

Gambling commission
http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/Home.aspx
https://twitter.com/GamRegGB

Advertising association
http://www.adassoc.org.uk/
https://twitter.com/ad_association

Responsible gambling trust
http://www.responsiblegamblingtrust.org.uk/