Former Stockport gambling addict backs calls for changes to advertisement
GambleAware are worried about the widespread level of gambling advertising in Britain
National charity GambleAware believes the risk of gambling harm is directly related to the widespread level of gambling advertising in Britain.
The charity says gambling adverts position gambling as ‘harmless and just a bit of fun’, with new data highlighting that 62 per cent of the public say that it is ‘everywhere’, and two in five (39 per cent) say they see it at least twice a day.
They are calling for a national conversation around gambling advertising and gambling harms as two-thirds (67%) feel there is stigma around the issue, which it warns is holding people back from seeking vital support.
There are growing concerns about the long-term impact of gambling advertising in Britain, with the public exposed to advertising from a young age.
GambleAware’s new research found that almost a third (31%) of adults recall seeing their first gambling advert before the age of 17, and two-thirds (65%) of adults agree that such advertising increases the likelihood of individuals experiencing harm.
David Quinti from Stockport is a former gambling addict, who lost around £30,000. He's been in recovery for almost ten years and is now co-lead at GLEN, the 'Gambling Lived Experience Network'.
David said: "You go out, it's in the book makers windows, if you go to football games or events it's there as well.
"It always looks very glamourous, it always looks very colourful, everyone's having fun...
"You can be sat at home in the afternoon and it'll be on when you're watching a show.
"It's on all the time when a football game is on, or a large event.
"We had the Grand National and Cheltenham and it was plastered with adverts around what things you could bet on, enhanced odds, all the usual stuff."
David is worried about the impact on younger generations: "We know now that kids are sat in their own rooms sometimes on their play stations, on their phones, and the advertising is everywhere, its rife.
"They just see it as a normal part of life and they'll probably have no idea, because of the way the advertising is done that there could be a problem, they'll see it as a normal thing they may want to do themselves."
David said more thought needs to be put into advertising and the impact of it: "What I would like to see is more mindfulness from operators about what is going out there, what content people are seeing and how it can affect people.
"Whether that's part of that advert, or another advert on the back of that, saying 'this is what could happen', 'this is what you could do', 'this is the support that's out there', 'there's blocks in place' all that other stuff to make gambling safer."
Anyone in need of help can reach out to Greater Manchester charity, GamHive, here.