A recent survey from GambleAware led to the conclusion that health warnings on gambling ads are not currently up to scratch. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

GambleAware ran a survey asking people what they thought of health warnings on gambling ads and many of the respondents said that they aren’t sufficient. The independent charity wants warnings that are more evidence-based after taking on board the feedback of more than 7,000 individuals.

The current slogan of “Take Time To Think” wasn’t deemed to be as effective as other messages like “Gambling Can Grip Anyone” and “Gambling Can Be Addictive.” Another key result was that a separate and clear health warning at the ends of ads would be a better way to direct people toward helpful resources than the current messaging.

vital that people are fully aware of the health risks relating to gambling

Talking about the survey results, GambleAware Chief Communications Officer Alexia Clifford remarked that it’s vital that people are fully aware of the health risks of gambling and that there is a need for more compelling messaging.

One of the co-authors of the report, Bristol University Marketing Lecturer Dr. Raffaello Rossi, said that it is of the utmost importance to make the addictive elements of gambling very clear and properly guide people to support if they need it. Rossi also called on regulators to get a better handle on operators that “are widely bombarding us with their ads.”