GGL Examines TV and Online Gambling Ads’ Impact Through Comprehensive Study

The German gambling authority, die Gemeinsamen Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL), has entrusted Eye Square GmbH, a Berlin-based market research company, with conducting a comprehensive gambling study.

Entitled ‘Gambling Advertising on Television and the Internet in the Tension Between Channelling and Addiction Prevention’, it will evaluate the effectiveness and impact of TV and online gambling advertisements on the general population. Particular emphasis will be put on vulnerable groups of society.

Several subcontractors will be involved in the study to ensure an exhaustive analysis, with the empirical research and advertising effectiveness analysis conducted by Bilendi GmbH, Cologne, and Dynata GmbH, Hamburg. The structured literature analysis will be led by Prof. Dr. Gerhard Bühringer, TU Dresden, in cooperation with the Institute for Contract Communication GmbH, Berlin. They will also collaborate with Noerr Partnergesellschaft mbB, to answer the research questions and recommend a suitable course of action.

The content analysis of common commercials will be entrusted to the Institute for Contrct Communication GmbH, Berlin. Two renowned experts, Prof. Dr. Markus Heinker and Prof. Christian Kerbs LL.M., will join the research group, contribute with their expertise, and provide scientific oversight.

GGL Outlines the Main Goals of the Study

As mentioned above, the study will evaluate the impact of ads and sponsorship on all individuals, with a special focus on vulnerable groups. Besides TV and social media ads, the study will cover other gambling marketing tools, such as bonuses and promotions, used to attract and retain customers.

Ultimately, the study will evaluate whether the advertising provisions specified in the State Treaty on Gambling 2021 have succeeded in channeling players to regulated gambling operators. The official evaluation of the measures and further proposals for improvements have been scheduled for 2026. Furthermore, as the study’s title suggests, the scientific group will aim to establish a balance between the advertisement of legal gambling and the prevention of problem gambling.

In April of the current year, the GGL spoke about the importance of gambling research at the 20th Symposium on Gambling, hosted at the University of Hohenheim. The regulator revealed an estimated cost of €1.39 million for the study, which will provide a thorough evidence-based analysis of the gambling industry in Germany.

Board member Ronald Benter spoke at the symposium, highlighting the importance of scientific research and the fact that the robust regulation of the industry “must be based on facts and figures.” The GGL is therefore tasked with the important mission of promoting the initiation of research. Mr. Benter further noted that despite the relatively short existence of the gambling authority, it has achieved success in this field. The symposium attendees also touched upon other important issues related to the gambling industry, including the impact of the black market.