UKGC Says 34% of Gamblers Prompted By Ads

A study by the UK Gambling Commission was revealed this week, with data showing that 34% of respondents to a survey indicated that advertising induced them to gamble.

The survey questioned 6,258 people, and 4,566 said that they'd gambled in the past 12 months. Of that total, 34% of gamblers said that gambling advertisements drew them in to spend money on the activity. Free bets or money drew in 22% of gamblers.

It was revealed that TV and social media campaigns drew in 15% of the gamblers, while direct marketing and sponsorships drew in 9% and 8% each.

While the gamblers said that gambling ads may have drawn them in, 52.8% said that the ads didn't impact how much they spent. 16.3% did say that they did bet more due to the ads.

13% of respondents said that ads got them to gamble for the first time, and 14.7% said ads got them to resume gambling after taking a break. 10.1% said the advertising got them to try a new form of gambling.

The UKGC did say that the survey indicated that advertising has a broad reach for pulling in new bettors, and that operators should be aware of the risks posed by advertising their betting services.