United States
United Kingdom
Summary
- Gambling and betting ads specifically targeting women
- More women succumbing to problem gambling
- NHS asks government to stop gambling ads that target women
The National Health Service (NHS) has launched a campaign against gambling advertisements that are specifically focused on bringing in female players.
While the majority of online casino players and sports bettors are men, gambling and betting operators are now targeting women as they want to get into this untapped market and expand their demographic.
Bingo Is The First Step To Bring In Women
Research shows that most women who are suffering from gambling addiction, initially started out playing bingo and then moved up to online slot games and then betting. Bingo parlors and online bingo sites are very popular with UK women. This is one of the reasons why a lot of gaming operators are pushing bingo advertisements as it resonates with UK women.
According to NHS Northern Gambling Service representative Matthew Gaskell, online bingo advertisements often air on TV during female-oriented daytime programs. Gambling operators do their research and customize their advertisements to appeal specifically to UK women and also have another set of ads that appeal to a male based audience.
Targeted daytime advertising used to lure women to bingo sites where high risk slot products await them.
In December alone there were nearly 3 million slot sessions lasting over an hour. No mandatory stake limits, time limits or loss limits online. https://t.co/MwX6PsdT3b
— Matt Gaskell (@mgaskell12) February 23, 2022
Gaskell added that bingo ushers in more harmful exposure to gambling, and advertisers are increasingly using this tool to lure women gamblers. The representative said that women tend to begin with bingo as it comes across as rather harmless but soon they start trying other gambling and betting products and some of them end up going overboard.
BGC Urges for Stricter Measures
An awareness campaign by British charity GambleAware established that almost a million women from the United Kingdom were standing at the precipice of gambling addiction. Regarding the issue, the UK gambling industry’s Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) said they were taking several measures to promote safer gambling practices.
For us, one problem gambler is one too many. That's why the regulated gambling industry is working to hard to promote #safergambling through investment in research, education and treatment, and new safeguards to protect customers. That's what makes the regulated sector #ASaferBet pic.twitter.com/xA0fzEu6LH
— Betting and Gaming Council (@BetGameCouncil) February 24, 2022
The BGC cited that while the rate of problem gambling has fallen from 0.6% to 0.3% in general and has stayed low for the female population at 0.2%, the body still felt that tougher standards should be in place for all punters including the female ones to promote safer gambling methods. The BGC also confirmed that its largest members had pledged to increase their donations by £100 million between 2019 and 2023 for treatment services, research, and education administered via independent charities.
