Is This the Answer to Address Gambling Harm?

[Bright0515]

Gambling ads increases unrealistic expectations of gambling, a lot of people watch these ads and they get carried away because they assume that it is possible for them to make profits based on how gambling is been portrayed to them. Gambling ads can be of harm especially when the casinos post things about gambling that would only make people enticed yo play the game.

I scroll through the internet a lot of times and I come across gambling ads that only make it seem as though there is only a possibility of winning and some people with no experience are gullible enough to believe this, that's where the problem starts from.

[Filicius]

In my country gambling ads are forbidden until late into the night, like 1:00 AM or so. The result is that it doesn't matter which TV channel you tune into, at that time you will only see betting ads or even live betting programs; There is no one who pays more to advertise in that time slot, and if they were allowed at any time of the day, most likely a large percentage of the total ads would be gambling. And by setting such a late schedule, the problem of minors, or at least the most vulnerable minors, is practically ended.

I am not saying that the solution is prohibition, but I do believe that advertisements must be regulated, so that they do not end up cannibalising those in the rest of the sectors.

[POPOLUV]

Gambling advertisment can actually cause harm but they are not clearly the only thing that can prompt gambling harm. There are those that enjoy gambling that even without them seeing a gambling advert they will still gamble, nowadays there are numerous gambling platforms and having access to them isn't difficult. So there is still tendency for those that enjoy gambling to still bet even without seeing an advert.
As for me, the main challenge is the way gambling is being promoted and how much time people spend gambling . Frequent viewings of gambling advert can push people into gambling when they never plan to.
However, it won't be a good idea to ban all gambling advert because it may leads to some gamblers patronising illegal gambling platforms. Therefore, instead of banning or prohibiting gambling advert, the attention should be on protecting gamblers by setting a regulation or trying to control how gambling is being advertised.

I don't see anything wrong if a gambling site decides to do advertisement, in other to promote their betting site and if you are not a gambler, i don't think you can give such advertisement a listen ear or talk less of being addicted through gambling advertisement and even if you are are a gambler, they are not forcing you to have account with them because it is a choice that comes from differently gamblers that want stake on their betting site due to their advertisement, I'm talking from my own perspective, gambling can only cause harm to any gamblers that are not able to control himself anymore from gambling, even if they should ban all advertisement that concerns gambling, it wouldn't still stop the levels of addiction today, so most people that are addicted to gambling, are mostly those that put their means of survival only on gambling because a gambler who's game for fun can never be addicted to gambling, so best advice to gamblers here in the forum, as a gambler you should be able to control your emotions.

[Pandorak]

But I think the question will remain: Are the gambling advertisements really causing harm or not?

I don’t think so.

Essentially, gambling ads are created solely to promote those sites, even though they often only show the winnings achieved by people who gamble on their sites. This is what attracts many people, leading them to believe that gambling will bring them easy money in a short amount of time. But in my opinion, it all comes down to the individual, how well you can control yourself and protect your finances. After all, no one is forcing you to deposit all your money. Whether you become a gambling addict or a responsible gambler, the choice is yours.

[Yorubek]

The reason I see behind this is that it is possible to reduce some of the harm by stopping advertising, as advertised about gambling, but in reality there is very little similarity with gambling. Advertising naturally attracts people to gambling, which can make a person overly greedy, as a result of which he may start gambling without gaining proper knowledge about it, and as a result, he may face big financial losses. By stopping advertising, the harm can be reduced to some extent.

One question remains, is whether to control greed or emotions. This is entirely a matter of personal preference. Casinos do not force anyone to gamble, but we must accept that gambling advertisements definitely have an impact on children. Children are often emotional and cannot judge between good and bad, so they can become addicted to it without realizing it and can ruin their lives. Therefore, by stopping advertisements, the new generation can be protected from this harm. I think it is logical to stop advertisements to combat the harm of gambling.

[cryptoaddictchie]

Well, I think that's the question that many of us have in mind. Are gambling advertisements really the issue?

With ads or not, if someone or anyone really wanted to expose himself to gambling or lers just say experienced it and then wanted to keep doing it all over again then thats on him.

I believed the ads affect kids who arent aware of gambling and we are human and we got curiosity so this is where their began to wonder what how is that. But for old and mature users who probably known all of it theres really no effect on them about this ads.

Well to answer the question is not really. Its just ads are form of marketing to introduce the project or product and it doesnt really entice more users and eventually become an addict gambler. Its the exprience of a user that impact addiction to gambling!

[Supreme Donvic]

Gambling ads increases unrealistic expectations of gambling, a lot of people watch these ads and they get carried away because they assume that it is possible for them to make profits based on how gambling is been portrayed to them. Gambling ads can be of harm especially when the casinos post things about gambling that would only make people enticed yo play the game.

I don't think gambling ad has caused any harm to anyone, it is only those that don't understand how gambling works that will fall for those gambling ads, and with the way gambling has spread even though you are not playing it you know someone who have been playing it so you can tell from the person if gambling is actually what you should go into or not.
Are you people expecting gambling companies to portray their company as a bad company? No they will never do that, they are not the only company that is promoting their business beyond expectations other companies do it too, I see nothing wrong in making your business attractive as long as you are not giving false information.

[Perfectbaby]

I do not think they are the one causing problems or even increasing gambling awareness. Fine, it is true that through them there are people who would love to start gambling or there are people who would want not to gamble but through their promotions and adverts lot of people could pick interest to gamble. But the question still remains unanswered? There are people who are not gamblers, in fact they dislike gambling with all passion but they could be willing available to go spend some money to watch championship league or Worldcup. Anyone who is a gambler or has already declared interest can never be stopped because already they had made up their mind to start gambling or to continue gambling. Another sets of people we could also talked about are those that are too impatient to start small, they always think and prefer starting it big. Hence they could also channels their efforts to start gambling if they could make it through gambling but yet, this doesn't affect the gambling site doing advertisement or promotion.

[Muba20]

It cannot be directly said that gambling advertisements make people addicted to gambling, it is certain that people are attracted to gambling by watching gambling advertisements. Gambling advertisements can be broadcast, but of course there needs to be a limitation. Constantly broadcasting advertisements is not only attracting gamblers, many minors can also be attracted to gambling and at some point that attraction can turn into addiction. The demands of gambling platforms are not unreasonable. If strict rules are applied to legal platforms, then gamblers may be inspired to illegal platforms, which can certainly cause more harm. Governments must take appropriate step and then create their own policies and bring control over the matter of advertising.

[uchegod-21]

It cannot be directly said that gambling advertisements make people addicted to gambling, it is certain that people are attracted to gambling by watching gambling advertisements. Gambling advertisements can be broadcast, but of course there needs to be a limitation. Constantly broadcasting advertisements is not only attracting gamblers, many minors can also be attracted to gambling and at some point that attraction can turn into addiction. The demands of gambling platforms are not unreasonable. If strict rules are applied to legal platforms, then gamblers may be inspired to illegal platforms, which can certainly cause more harm. Governments must take appropriate step and then create their own policies and bring control over the matter of advertising.

Many factors make people gamble, and gambling ads are just one of them. Ads increase exposure; they make you realise that something exists. Some of these ads go as far as promoting scams and lies. People watch these ads, some believe them, and bet with their money. These things wouldn't have happened if they weren't exposed to them. So, I agree that gambling contributes to what makes people gamble. Gambling addiction is just what happens after the person may have let himself lose control.

The government should regulate these ads or ban them completely on specific platforms that may reach lots of people, including minors. Gambling companies or casinos can devise other means to promote their services without causing harm to the public.

The government has a huge role to play here. It is not just about granting licences to gambling companies and then generating revenue from them. They also have to make sure that the public using these services is well protected.

[HyperCodexV]

Gambling ads increases unrealistic expectations of gambling, a lot of people watch these ads and they get carried away because they assume that it is possible for them to make profits based on how gambling is been portrayed to them. Gambling ads can be of harm especially when the casinos post things about gambling that would only make people enticed yo play the game.

I scroll through the internet a lot of times and I come across gambling ads that only make it seem as though there is only a possibility of winning and some people with no experience are gullible enough to believe this, that's where the problem starts from.

There should be some heavy regulations on these ads because that's the major way to protect the public. I come across the same type of ads every single day on social media, expecially of facebook and TikTok short videos and the level of fake hope they sell is very annoying. They twist it to make sports betting look more like a secure investment package rather than an highly risky gamble and definitely, people with zero experience will fall for the bait and throw in their hard earn money, then get trapped in the cycle of chasing losses just because they have this belief that winning is guaranteed and very possible.

[r_victory]

It depends on the type of message the ads convey. If they show someone betting and constantly winning, they will certainly attract people who believe that scenario, only for them to face reality and often lose a lot of money.

I remember cigarette commercials; it was all about adventure, people smiling, partying, and even doing extreme sports, yet I was a smoker, and smoking was nothing like that. 

[Jaycoinz]

Gambling ads are one of the main issues we have today about gambling addiction and a lot of people can agree to that fact. But another thing that is important is that people should know when something is looking too good to be true, as an adult you should know the whatever is presented on the media about gambling will only show the positive sides of it and not the negative aspects of it. Gambling ads will always be there, people just need to develop their mindset so they don't believe such things. What should be completely put under control is fake gambling ads probably to get people signed up on fake gambling platforms, this is what causes more harm.

There is one thing you need to understand, it's the fact that the human mind and brain are moved and process data a lot faster by things they see and that's why these ads despite the fact that they are too good to be true, which every normal person is supposed to see and avoid but because it is constantly shown everywhere and every time, the urge to click and try out these ppl platform becomes a massive problem.

[leonair]

If I want to say the main part of my statement, then first of all I will say that gambling advertisements definitely harm people, especially young people, because gambling advertisements are made in such a way and show tempting things that make people think that they can become rich by gambling in a short time.

Again, if gambling advertisements are completely banned, it will also have some negative effects on the economy of the countries where gambling is legal and gambling business is done. However, considering this aspect, it is necessary to place some restrictions on the advertising content in the countries where gambling is legal and gambling business is done, which show people the wrong lure about gambling. And in the countries where gambling is illegal, gambling advertisements should be completely banned. Now gambling advertisements are widely promoted on social media and due to this, people in those countries where gambling is illegal are also exposed to a large number of advertisements and since online gambling is very easy to access, it does not take much time for a person to convert into a gambler.

[SPIDERMAN008]

I do not think they are the one causing problems or even increasing gambling awareness. Fine, it is true that through them there are people who would love to start gambling or there are people who would want not to gamble but through their promotions and adverts lot of people could pick interest to gamble. But the question still remains unanswered? There are people who are not gamblers, in fact they dislike gambling with all passion but they could be willing available to go spend some money to watch championship league or Worldcup. Anyone who is a gambler or has already declared interest can never be stopped because already they had made up their mind to start gambling or to continue gambling. Another sets of people we could also talked about are those that are too impatient to start small, they always think and prefer starting it big. Hence they could also channels their efforts to start gambling if they could make it through gambling but yet, this doesn't affect the gambling site doing advertisement or promotion.

I completely agree with you that everything depends on a person own behavior, mindset and self-control. If gambling ads worked as the main influencer, then everyone would bet, there would not be a single person who does not gamble. But there are still many people who have never bet even out of curiosity. Because their mindset is different. They are not influenced in any way by seeing ads. But that's right, many people have started betting depending on the marketing of gambling. If 5 people out of every 100 people start betting after seeing ads, then that too much in a very large population will lead to a lot more people being addicted to gambling. There will be new users who have started betting just by seeing gambling ads. So I personally think that advertisements can influence, but advertisements are not the only cause of gambling addiction or harmful gambling. The issue of personal decision and self control is also very important.

[Smartprofit]

I don't live in the UK, but I often read reports that the country has been experiencing a terrible situation with censorship and all sorts of bans and restrictions in recent years. 🙋

"Evil tongues" claim that censorship and ban policies in the UK are already more aggressive than those in China (which seems surprising) and Russia (which seems completely unbelievable, and I don't believe it). However, I've heard numerous stories of prison sentences for social media posts, of the mass exodus of wealthy people from the UK, and so on. As the saying goes, "where there's smoke, there's fire." Perhaps some negative social processes are indeed underway in the UK...

And if this is true, then calls for a ban on advergames are the same policy of total bans and restrictions. Why ban gambling advertising at all? When have bans and restrictions ever solved any problems? Personally, I don't remember anything like it!

Of course, during the World Cup, people will calculate the odds of a team winning (even if they know nothing about gambling or online casino sites). This is completely normal. And, of course, people will bet on the outcome of a match. I remember working for a large company, and our CEO set up a sports betting system during the World Cup (with real money bets on the outcome of matches). Gambling cannot be eradicated. The UK government is tilting at windmills like Don Quixote. But it should be noted that the literary hero Don Quixote, although a noble man, was also completely insane.🤷

[atookz]

For example, researchers at the University of Sheffield revealed that soccer fans were 22-33% more likely to bet when watching World Cup matches with gambling ads on TV.

I know there are a lot of soccer fans here. Is this true?

True. The claim is in line with the official results of the University of Sheffield study (published in the journal Addictive Behaviors Reports, led by Ellen McGrane). The study looked at the betting behaviour of men aged 18-45 in England during the 2022 Qatar World Cup, and found that those who watched matches with gambling advertisements on TV were 22-33% more likely to place a bet than those who didn't.

There's a lot more in the link.
But I think the question will remain: Are the gambling advertisements really causing harm or not?

To my mind, it's not a simple either/or proposition. While not the only cause, gambling ads are definitely one factor that contributes to gambling harm.

It's like this: the ad is the bait, and if the fish is easily tempted, it takes the bait; if not, it swims past. If you have good self-control, you'll simply ignore the ads. However, if someone feels vulnerable, either financially or mentally, an ad can provoke them to give it a try, particularly if the ad only presents the winning side of the story.

Ads are not so much the cause of the problem but rather an accelerant in that process for those who are vulnerable. Individual vulnerability and a lack of education are still the cause of the issue, however, and ads are just one of many entry points.

[Miles2006]

Gambling advertisement is not really my thing meaning I don’t get moved by adverts online or TV about gambling site and the offers, basically we all have our different choice to choose.
I totally agree, gambling advertisement do get to the wrong audience too despite the fact many people don’t find this ads attractive others still value such ads and then starts to place bets well, should this ads be restricted is not really an option but, I would suggest no. Let gambling sites market their service although my concern is kids below the age 18 obviously these kids are exposed to the internet and might see these ads eventually, they get tempted reason they indulge in gambling activity so early but, aside this reason I really don’t buy the idea banning ads.

[Marykeller]

A gambling ad is a form of marketing for gambling companies to become known. The reason for the ads is to draw customers in or make customers know about a product. And gambling is known to either make someone addicted or less addicted to gambling.

UK call for a ban on gambling ads is a good one, but this is not what will happen overnight; it will take a few years to have it implemented into law. As it is being implemented into law, it won't make gambling disappear; it will reduce the exposure of youths to gambling

[Yeesha]

Short answer is Yes, gambling ads can harm anyone and it can influence someone to go and try gambling.

But I have a debate with this from a friend and my arguments is that it depends on who is reading the ads. If you are that person who easily tempted and succumb to it, they it will harm you.

However, there are individuals who are not going to be affected by this ads, and will just laugh it off.

So it will only affect those persons that are vulnerable and weak.

You're extremely right, no matter how many times some people see gambling ads it will never be their problem, and cannot impact them in any way, except for weak and vulnerable people like you did mention. I don't know what triggers some people to make decisions concerning their lives because of little ads. If the person is a gambler before, and come across ads of new  physical or online casino and decideto try it, that a different case. But someone that decide or feel motivated after he come across that gambling ads online may be digging his own grave.