Not all safer gambling ads are doing what they’re supposed to. A new study looked at how different videos affect real behaviour. Researchers from Thinks Insight & Strategy in cooperation with GambleAware found that some safer gambling advertising can backfire, while others can protect against risky play.

  • The trial involved 4,013 participants in Great Britain, who were randomly shown one of five safer gambling ads or a neutral video. Behaviour was then tracked in a simulated video-sharing platform and gambling app. The main measure was whether viewers clicked through to the gambling app after watching the ad.

  • Two operator-led videos had unintended effects. William Hill’s Top Tips for Positive Play and 888’s Made to Play Safely both increased the rate of click-through to the gambling app. Researchers described this as a “backfire effect” since the ads appeared to encourage rather than discourage gambling.

  • The GambleAware Magnets Stigma Campaign had the opposite outcome. Only 3% of viewers clicked through compared to 6% in the control group. This protective effect was linked to its serious tone and use of real stories from people with gambling harms.

  • Betfair’s Play at Your Best and the Betting & Gaming Council’s Take Time to Think showed no significant change. Both videos produced click-through rates close to the control group, meaning their impact was neutral rather than harmful or protective.

  • Secondary measures revealed that most participants who clicked into the gambling app went for the free bet option rather than using safer gambling tools. Only 1% of participants across all groups chose to engage with tools like deposit limits.

  • Survey responses suggested why the backfire occurred. Around 38% of viewers of William Hill’s video and 45% of 888’s said the ads suggested gambling is “harmless fun”. Meanwhile, 25% of 888’s audience admitted the ad made them want to gamble, the highest across all videos.

  • The Magnets campaign received the strongest trust scores, with 73% of viewers saying it came from a trustworthy source. It also prompted more self-reflection, with one-third of respondents saying it made them think about cutting down on gambling.

  • Researchers stressed that with operators required to allocate 20% of marketing spend to safer gambling, stronger evidence is needed before campaigns roll out. Without testing, there’s a risk of funding ads that encourage rather than reduce gambling.

  • The report called for more rigorous pre-testing of ads, independent audits of operator spending, and clearer guidelines for messaging. “Some videos risk sending the wrong message by presenting gambling as fun and harmless,” the authors concluded.

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