A recent report by the UK charity GambleAware has concluded that children and young people are persistently exposed to online gambling marketing, despite the existence of age restrictions intended to protect them.
The charity warns that much of this content portrays gambling as being “risk free,” creating a misleading perception that is particularly dangerous for younger audiences.
The report critically highlights a systemic flaw in the existing regulatory framework, noting that current rules rely too heavily on self-regulation by the operators themselves.
This approach is deemed insufficient to protect vulnerable individuals in the dynamic and rapidly evolving digital environment.
Consequently, GambleAware is urgently calling for the implementation of much tighter restrictions on online gambling marketing.
The organization stresses that regulations must be comprehensively updated and adequately “brought into the digital age” to reflect modern patterns of internet access and consumption among young people.
This exposure is significant because gambling operators invest substantial resources into their digital marketing campaigns specifically because they are effective at influencing individuals to gamble more frequently.
As children and adolescents gain easy access to the internet at earlier ages, they are encountering this persuasive content before they possess the critical capacity to evaluate its messaging and fully comprehend the associated risks.
GambleAware emphasizes that the current rules governing online gambling marketing and advertising in the UK were initially conceived and implemented before the widespread adoption of the internet and easy digital access among children.
The charity asserts that without immediate and decisive action, the regulatory gap will continue to leave children and young people vulnerable to gambling-related harm.
Updating these rules is presented as a crucial step toward creating a safer digital environment.
Anna Hargrave, GambleAware Transition CEO:
“Gambling operators invest significant resources into online marketing because it works at getting people to gamble more. This has resulted in children and young people being exposed to gambling content online before an age at which they can critically evaluate it and understand the risks that come with it.”
“The current regulations covering gambling marketing and advertising online were designed before most children had easy access to the internet. Urgent action is needed to update these rules and bring them into the digital age to help keep children and young people safe from gambling harm.”
