Gambling-focused TV advertising hits £500M
Published on by Becky M.
It probably won’t come as much of a shock to those within the industry, but a recent report shows that since 2012 £500 million has been spent on gambling related TV advertising. Breaking down the statistics the report shows that bookmakers, casinos, bingo operators, and poker sites had spent more than £118 million on TV advert sports in 2015 alone. This figure represents a notable rise on the £81.2 million that was spent in 2012, a 46% rise to be exact. With figures such as these now making headlines, it seems that the government has now begun to question industry motives.
‘Up It’s Game’
Speaking on the major TV advertising presence of the gambling industry, Carolyn Harris (Swansea East Labour MP) said, “It’s evident that the gambling industry is feeling the need to up its game. This could be the effect of the recent European football tournament but it’s a worrying trend nonetheless. Gambling remains a serious social blight in this country but the government still insists on light-touch regulation”. According to estimative figures, in 2016 £51.4 million has already been spent on TV advertising by the industry so far this year, which means last years record spend could well be topped. This news has brought up a negative response from Campaign for Fairer Gambling leader Derek Webb, “There are a lot of problems with this and we’re nowhere close to understanding it all, as the sheer volume of advertising risks fuelling further gambling addiction”.
Reach Out To New Audiences
It’s clear that that the rising presence of the online gambling industry on mainstream TV is causing division. Saying that, without government intervention it is a presence that only set to grow, as brands continue to reach out to new audiences through television-focused marketing campaigns in the years to come.