New German study says gambling ads influence at-risk and problem gamblers

• A new survey from Germany has interviewed nearly 4,800 gamblers and sought to find out how advertising affects players
• Gamblers who are at-risk or already experiencing a gambling disorder are more likely to be influenced by ads
• The survey noted that young people and men in particular were more likely to experience gambling-related issues

A new study has looked into how gambling advertisements affect players who are at-risk or already exhibiting signs of problem gambling. The survey used the DSM-5 criteria to determine what a gambler’s status was, and whether they qualified as experiencing gambling-related distress or a disorder.

Advertising makes it harder for at-risk players to resist urge to gamble

According to the survey, conducted in Germany, and encompassing a significant sample of nearly 4,800 gamblers, people who struggle to control their gambling are far more likely to agree that advertisements are impacting their decision-making.

The surveyed group was between the age groups of 18 and 70, with 57% of respondents male, and the average age was 47. Interestingly, the older a person was, the lower the gambling risk appeared.

The standout discovery of the survey is that players who do not experience gambling-related harm are less likely to say that advertising influenced them negatively or at all.

Specifically, 36.5% of respondents who were classified as at-risk said that they tended to play after seeing ads. The percentage was much smaller for gamblers who did not struggle or experience similar problems - 8%.

Another important discovery made by the study was that younger people and men in particular had higher odds of developing issues with their gambling activity. The odds of men having a gambling problem were 1.7 times higher compared to other demographics.

The authors did not provide too much information about which advertising channels affected vulnerable and at-risk players the most, but acknowledged the role that social media and Internet advertising play.

Gambling ads have been a hot-button topic for regulators, with licensed operators arguing that without the ability to advertise their products freely, they are ceding ground to offshore operators that are not accountable to best industry practices and player safety requirements.

This view clashes with gambling hawks who argue that more needs to be done to limit the reach and exposure of people to gambling advertisements in general, in what has become a tug-of-war between the industry, legislators, and the public all over the world.

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