Mr Viral
GambleAware’s latest effort to support the new UK statutory levy commissioner has underscored the importance of children’s safety.
Survey data analysed by the gambling charity focusing on a total of 1,645 children aged between 11 and 17 has picked up on a trend where “nine out of 10” respondents recognised a gambling company in a list of general brands.
The survey was conducted by YouGov on behalf of GambleAware, and is featured within the latter’s new State of the Nation report.
In it, the charity makes an effort to consolidate the results of GambleAware-funded studies and other relevant third-party research, such as official statistics from the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), in order to present a comprehensive analysis of the level of gambling-related risk children and young people in Great Britain are currently exposed to.
As mentioned earlier, the report comes at a time of transition for the UK’s statutory levy, which from next year will see the appointment of NHS England, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparity (OHID) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) taking over the role of commissioners for gambling harms treatment, prevention and research – which GambleAware will hold until March 2026.
The YouGov survey ended on an open-ended question, urging children to send a message to those in charge of gambling production. The produced responses revolved around making ads less appealing to under-18s and highlighting the risks involved with gambling – something that is already under strict scrutiny and supervision in the UK market, especially by the UKGC and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).
Gambling-like mechanics in video gamesOne interesting point raised in the report was that the lines between video gaming and gambling have been increasingly blurred, which becomes a problem when taking into account the popularity of video games among children.
The most common mechanics in video games associated with gambling-like elements are loot boxes – in-game cosmetic packs that are purchased with real money and are completely RNG-based, offering randomised prizes with increasingly lower odds depending on the in-game item’s desirability.
Europe has already taken notice of this phenomenon, with member states such as Poland openly discussing the prospects of bringing loot boxes under gambling regulations. In the UK, however, this concept remains outside the scope of gambling and marketing authorities.
Commenting on the State of the Nation report, Member of the House of Lords, Baroness Clare Gerada DBE, added: “The State of the Nation report gives clear and evidence based recommendations that should be taken seriously by those who have a responsibility to protect children and young people from the risks of gambling harms.
“These should not be ignored, and I would implore those promoting gambling through advertising and marketing to take note of this report, and start to put the necessary actions in place, including clearer health warnings to warn people of the potential risks.”
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