TLDR A new experiment tracked 227 Australian gamblers over two weeks and found direct marketing from betting companies leads to heavier gambling and more harm Gamblers who opted out of free bet offers made 23% fewer bets and 39% fewer wagers than those who kept receiving promotions The opt-out group experienced 67% fewer short-term gambling-related harms, including emotional pain tied to gambling Researchers say this is the first real-world study to show direct gambling marketing can causally increase harm, not just correlate with it The findings are fueling calls for stricter advertising rules and could even support a full ban on direct gambling promotions
A new study has found that free bet offers and direct marketing from betting companies are linked to heavier gambling and increased short-term harm among active account holders.
The research was conducted by Central Queensland University in Australia and the University of Bristol in the U.K. It tracked the behavior of 227 Australian gamblers over a two-week period.
The participants were mostly men aged around 45 who regularly gamble on sports and racing. They were split into two groups for the experiment.
One group continued receiving direct marketing from betting companies as normal. The other group opted out of those promotions for the duration of the study.
The results showed clear differences between the two groups. Gamblers who opted out of marketing made 23% fewer bets than those who kept receiving offers.
The opt-out group also made 39% fewer wagers overall. On top of that, they experienced 67% fewer short-term gambling-related harms, such as emotional pain connected to their betting activity.
The study was titled “Direct gambling marketing, direct harm: a randomised experiment.” It was funded by Gambling Research Australia, a partnership between the federal government and Australian states and territories.
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