48% of Canadians think the amount of betting advertising is unaffordable and regulators need to contain it
For the project, LegalBet Canada gathered a team of responsible gambling experts led by an experienced psychologist who worked with gambling addicts and examined the problems of the study in detail. The survey, titled How Advertising Affects Gamblers, relies on a detailed and objective approach to how betting advertising can affect gamblers.
According to a 2015 study by Bestman, Thomas, Randall, and Thomas, some features of gambling advertising already have a higher gambling appeal that affects viewers dramatically, or are inherently more sensitive to excessive gambling. That’s why it’s important to remember that gambling should only be done for recreational purposes and not for making money.
In addition, according to Lopez-Gonzalez, H., Estevez, A., & Griffiths, M. D. (2018), gambling advertising has a greater impact on individuals facing gambling cliffs than those who were initially less prone to addiction. Other reports and papers have also shown that gambling advertising has the greatest impact on gamblers, which is more evident in live events.
The study concluded that gambling ads respond differently depending on age and social group. One of the recommendations of this study is to stop promoting gambling activities for a certain period of time when exposure to gambling can be the highest and have a healthy impact on efforts to cope with problematic gambling. He also pointed out that it is important to promote the importance of safe games.
Finally, the report pointed out that companies don’t understand the excessive gaming market and continue to pour promotional material on betting companies, which can worsen the situation, but it’s also because of players’ problematic behavior that brands advertising.
Ontario is finally taking steps to limit advertising
The growing popularity of iGaming in Ontario has also hit betting ads hard. But last week, the Ontario Alcohol and Gaming Commission updated the registrar’s Internet gaming standards, banning the use of advertisements and advertising by retired active players. It also banned the use of celebrities, influencers, role models, and cartoon characters.
Previously, Ontario had heard a huge backlash from experts and parents regarding advertising in the area.