The UK government has published advertising guidelines under the Gambling Act 2005 claiming to permit advertising of gambling whilst also protecting those who are vulnerable from being harmed by gambling. Control over gambling advertisements will be relaxed in the United Kingdom effective from September 2007.
Many fear a deterioration in the quality of life in the United Kingdom in consequence of the inevitable increase in gambling and believe there are powerful arguments that suggest the advertising guidelines will be ineffective.
The UK government’s theory appears to be that, by targeting certain groups of people, the advertisers will be able to avoid persuading those who are vulnerable from taking up or increasing their level of gambling.
This is a similar approach to that taken to avoid promoting drinking to vulnerable people. Yet, how many towns in the UK have a problem with under age drinkers congregating on street corners and getting loudly and offensively drunk?
No doubt, young persons will not be shown enjoying themselves playing roulette or a fruit machine (slots). But young people emulate adults, even if they pretend not to, and, if young people see adults enjoying themselves gambling in an advertisement, surely they will see it as being desirable to gamble too?
Cigarette advertising these days is increasingly limited. But, how many young people, often not even into their teens, do you see walking down the street with a cigarette in their hand? Even the brutal statements on the sides of packets of cigarettes informing the purchaser of the health risks does not deter children from acquiring and smoking them. Surely, the marketing message they have been exposed to at some stage must have been incredibly powerful for them to be willing to accept this level of risk.
There are some things in this world that are good for people and there are other things in this world that are not. A healthy meal eaten in moderation is a good thing. Killing somebody or hurting somebody is obviously a bad thing. The UK parliamentarians have clearly decided that gambling can be a good thing and this is why they wish to promote it through their liberalisation of gambling legislation.
Yet gambling involves the fundamentally wrong belief that the gambler can beat the gambling industry and win. Few would doubt that the odds are always carefully calculated by the gambling organisations to ensure that the gambler never wins over a series of transactions. This is how they make their enormous profits.
Yet, how many gamblers would say that they were going to do some gambling to lose some money? Clearly, gambling involves fundamental and powerful self deception that can only be strengthened by advertising.
Perhaps, in years to come, the warnings required on gambling advertisements will be as extreme as those currently shown on cigarette packets. Probably, it will then be too late for many.
In the UK, over the coming years, many will be encouraged into gambling by advertisements tacitly approved by UK Parliament’s MP’s. These new gamblers will ultimately be harmed by their experience. Encouraged by an expert gambling industry, they will lose money and perhaps more money than they can afford. Studies show friends and families suffer as well as those who take part in the gambling activity. Some will become addicted and lose everything.
Eventually, perhaps many more people will question the ethics of UK Members of Parliament who claim guidelines can control the adverse consequences to the UK population resulting from their liberalisation of gambling.
Bye for now
Rob
Rob Hopcott – online author, liberal and ferociously anti gambling
