[ad_1]
The viral social media campaign, which involved high-profile BBC and ITV football teams, has been accused of normalizing betting among young people and encouraging gambling during the Euro 2020 tournament.
Last week, Sky Bet released a video series starring Micah Richards, BBC Euro 2020 expert, and Roy Keane, ITV Euro 2020 expert. Five videos from the Sky Bet brand have so far garnered more than 6 million views on the companies ’Facebook and Twitter accounts, which also include posts offering free early bets on the top scorer in the tournaments and prizes from the Sky Bets online casino.
Sky Bets ’social media channels have also shared another ITV Euro 2020 expert Gary Neville brand interview with English captain Harry Kane. He joins Richards and Keane’s trip to Wembley in the latest video from betting brands, where the trio discusses the potential of England and who will be the best scorer in Euro 2020.
Although the gambling industry has agreed to a voluntary ban on whistles in television commercials shown during live sporting events before 9 p.m., digital promotion is not restricted, accounting for 80% of gambling advertising spending.
Observer has noted that ITV’s Twitter accounts, which have more than 2.2 million followers, show the highlights of the Euro 2020 goals in all live matches marked with the gambling company logo.
Research According to Ipsos Mori and two university groups, the impact of gambling advertising on young and vulnerable adults emphasizes the use of celebrity recommendation, humor, and fun to promote the image of gambling as safe and frivolous.
A study conducted last year on behalf of the gambling fund GambleAware found exposure to betting campaigns that young people were more likely to play.
There are 55,000 of them children with a harmful gambling problem according to the Gambling Commission in the United Kingdom. There are 300,000 adult gamblers and 440,000 risk gamblers. Gambling industry does 60% of their profits from these problems and risk gamblers whose addiction can destroy families and harm communities. Betting is estimated to cost society up to € 1.2 billion a year for its effects on health, employment and the criminal justice system.
Matt Zarb-Cousin, founder of Clean up Gambling, said gambling companies produce and sponsor highly distributable online content that usually reaches a wider audience, including children. There is a very good chance that under-18s will be exposed to gambling brands through these viral videos, he said. Kids know these experts, so it normalizes gambling for the younger generation.
Betting, he added, used Euro 2020 to gain new customers for its most profitable products, such as casino games and online slots, which make up half of the results of online gambling.
Football has a very low margin for operators, he said. They try to attract new customers to football betting and then sell more addictive products like online slot games with no limits on bets. There, the industry makes money.
ITV received criticism last week for not dropping gambling ads before and after the live games, including a clash in England against Scotland on Friday. This is now likely to grow as the channels featured on social media throughout the competition feature the gambling company logo.
Carolyn Harris, chairman of the Gambling Disadvantages Party Group, said she was disappointed with ITV.
This is definitely soul-destroying because players are not just losing their livelihoods, their homes and their families, and people are losing their lives in many cases, he said. ITV allows gambling companies to drive addiction. That is reprehensible.
He added that Keane, Richards and Neville should meet problem players. If they knew the damage caused by gambling, I’d think they would walk away, he said.
They are all respected and have a high profile. Their presence normalizes gambling for those who have not played, and allows those with disrupted gambling to do something that destroys their lives.
The close relationship between gambling and football is under review, and ministers are considering tighter regulation. Eight Premier League clubs started the season with game game logos in front of their shirts.
BBC Euro 2020 host and former England striker Gary Lineker has opposed the growing influence of betting companies. Last season, he took on social media to criticize clubs, including Leicester and Arsenal, for advertising gambling.
Sky Bet said: Safer gambling is critical to Sky Bet. As sports fans celebrate around the world, when Euro 2020 finally kicks off, we will continue to put the safety of our customers at the heart of everything we do.
ITV said it took its responsibilities to viewers very seriously. It announced that the amount of gambling advertising related to the live broadcast of football matches in euros would decrease significantly compared to the 2018 World Cup.
Most of the matches that ITV plans to broadcast live will start at 2pm or 5pm and will not have gambling ads under the whistle ban. Reminder [which all have an 8pm kick-off] there are no gambling ads during commercial breaks before or at halftime, said the broadcaster’s spokesman.
The BBC, Micah Richards, Gary Neville and Roy Keane were asked to comment.
[ad_2]
picture credit