Promoting responsible gambling via prevention messages: insights from the evaluation of actual European messages

Designing Improved Safer Gambling Messages for Race and Sports Betting: What can be Learned from Other Gambling Formats and the Broader Public Health Literature?

Safer gambling messages are one potential input to a public health approach toward reducing gambling-related harm, and yet there is no strong evidence supporting current messages such as "gamble responsibly" or "keep the fun in the game". Furthermore, sports betting is increasing in popularity in multiple jurisdictions, such as Australia and the US, increasing the need to design effective messaging campaigns for race and sports betting. Compared to other gambling formats, such as electronic gambling machines, the level of potential skill involved in race and sports betting may raise unique issues regarding the design of effective messages. This review first highlights research from the related public health domains of alcohol and tobacco. Then, five potential areas for further messaging-based research in race and sports betting are discussed: teaching safer gambling practices, correcting gambling misperceptions, boosting conscious decision making, norm-based messages, and emotional messages. A broad approach to message design is encouraged, given the potential for individual differences in message receptivity, and for frequently-repeated messages to be ignored or cause negative psychological reactance.

Examining Responsible Gambling Program Awareness and Engagement Trends and Relationships with Gambling Beliefs and Behaviors: A Three-Wave Study of Customers from a Major Gambling Operator

A considerable body of literature has examined elements of responsible gambling (RG) programs in land-based gambling venues. The present pre-registered study examines GameSense RG program awareness and engagement trends and relationships with gambling beliefs and behaviors, at MGM's U.S.-based casino properties using three samples of MGM's loyalty program members. We used a repeated cross-sectional approach including observational data collected from one sample (N = 3748) shortly before the rollout of GameSense in 2017-2018, and from two samples collected 1 year (N = 4795) and 2 years (N = 3927) after the program's implementation. We found that awareness of the GameSense program increased between pre- and 1-year post-implementation, yet did not increase further at 2-years post-implementation. Bivariate analyses showed that respondents who were aware of more GameSense components had a better understanding of gambling concepts and used more RG strategies, whereas respondents who engaged with GameSense used more RG strategies than those who did not, but did not display a better understanding of gambling concepts. The relationship between GameSense awareness and self-reported use of RG strategies remained significant in multivariate analyses with covariates. Moderation analyses indicated that a positive effect of overall GameSense engagement on gambling literacy was only found for respondents who had attended a regional property, as compared to respondents who attended Las Vegas or metropolitan properties. All effect sizes were weak, which suggests that practical impacts of the program currently are limited. Our findings have implications for research on land-based RG programs and we provide recommendations for enhancing such programs.

"When the Fun Stops, Stop": An analysis of the provenance, framing and evidence of a 'responsible gambling' campaign

When the Fun Stops, Stop, is a prominent 'responsible gambling' campaign in the UK, originally funded and delivered by the industry-initiated and funded Senet Group. Since the Senet Group's dissolution in 2020, the campaign has been overseen by the Betting and Gambling Council (BGC), the main gambling industry trade body. There has been no prior analysis of the activities, ideas and framing adopted by the Senet Group, who claimed to be acting as an industry 'watchdog' and oversaw what they characterised as a major public education campaign. We collated written and image-based material related to the Senet Group and its When the Fun Stops, Stop campaign from multiple sources. Guided by Entman's four functions of framing, we analysed the Senet Group's framing of the issues it sought to address, particularly harmful gambling, as well as its causes, and the solutions, focusing on the group's main activity: the delivery of the When the Fun Stops, Stop campaign. We also critically appraised an evaluation of the campaign funded by the Senet Group, using the findings to interrogate the stated claims about the campaign's effectiveness. The analysis showed that the Senet Group's framing of the problem, its causes, and proposed responses resemble those adopted by other industries and industry-funded groups. This involves portraying any harms caused by their products as limited to an atypical minority, rejecting upstream determinants of harm, and promoting individually-targeted voluntary measures, all contrary to the evidence of what works in health promotion, and what would characterise a public health approach. Neither the existing evidence base nor the evidence presented by the Senet Group support their claims about the campaign's effectiveness. These findings add to concerns about industry-funded campaigns in other areas. To minimise conflicts of interest, interventions intended to address gambling-related harms, such as public education campaigns, should be evidence-based and developed, implemented and evaluated completely independent of the industry and industry-funded organisations.

Charting a path towards a public health approach for gambling harm prevention

Aim

Gambling harm is a serious public health issue affecting the health, financial security, and social well-being of millions of people and their close relations around the world. Despite its population health implications, gambling harm is not typically viewed and treated as a public health policy issue. This paper critically reviews the evolution of the public health perspective on gambling harm. It also considers how gambling harm can be operationalized within a public health model.

Methods

A critical historical review of the emerging public health perspective on gambling harm was conducted. Key documents covering three decades of development were reviewed and appraised through a process of deliberation and debate over source impact in the fields of research, policy, and programming internationally.

Results

The first decade mainly focused on identifying gambling harm and framing the public health issue. The second decade featured the expansion of health assessment and emerging areas of policy and program development. The third decade saw an increased focus on public health frameworks that advanced understanding of harm mechanics and impact. As reflected by the essential functions of a general public health model, gambling harm prevention efforts emphasize health promotion over other key functions like health assessment and surveillance.

Conclusion

Gambling harm is a public health issue requiring greater attention to health assessment and surveillance data development.