Gambling Understood
Gambling addiction is recognised as a serious public health issue that can significantly impact the mental health of both individuals and their families. The Gambling Commission reports that 1.4 million adults suffer from problem gambling, while NHS data shows rising demand for treatment services. We also know gambling-related harm disproportionately affects the most vulnerable groups, including low-income households and young people thereby contributing to social inequality.
Public perception surveys also highlight widespread concern about gambling, with many viewing it as harmful to family life and society. Despite these concerns the industry continues to grow and so does the number of people experiencing harm. Although ads now feature calls to ‘gamble responsibly’, the industry’s focus seems to be more on the retention of frequent customers rather than protecting the most vulnerable.
This campaign aims to shift the focus from personal responsibility to exposing the unethical practices of the gambling industry. By highlighting how tactics like retargeting or ‘free bets’ and ‘bonus spins’ create environments that encourage harm, the campaign seeks to educate the public, empower informed decision-making, and challenge the industry’s pervasive influence.
Date
May 2023 - May 2024
Client
Yorkshire and the Humber Association of Directors of Public Health
Scope of work
- Brand development & visual identity
- Co-production, engagement and community representation
- Creative messaging and copywriting
- Digital Engagement
- Research and analysis
What we did
An in-depth context review provided valuable insights into the techniques employed by the gambling industry, helping us understand how to educate those at risk while also motivating them to engage with our campaign messages. By exposing the industry’s unethical practices, we aimed to tap into a sense of injustice, evoking strong emotional responses that triggered moral outrage, empathy, and a challenge to social norms, inspiring collective action and driving both immediate and long-term behavioural change.
By working directly with young men who gamble and affected others, we moved away from traditional ‘problem gambling’ messages, which often felt irrelevant or were ignored. Instead, we adopted the bold, attention-grabbing style of gambling ads to expose how the industry draws people in. This audience insight shaped every aspect of the campaign tone, visuals, and messaging, making it relatable, engaging, and more likely to spark self reflection.
A vibrant animation style brought the campaign to life, while high-contrast colour palettes commanded the attention of our target audiences. Strong, statement-driven typography delivered clear messaging without relying on imagery that could act as a gambling trigger, ensuring a visually impactful yet responsible design approach.
The campaign was split into two phases, allowing the audience to first become knowledgeable about the prevalence of gambling harms and the tactics used before moving on to contemplating their own gambling or the gambling of others.
The first phase of the campaign focused on educating everyone, particularly those at risk of gambling harms, to understand the levels the gambling industry goes to, to encourage harmful behaviour and the addictive nature of gambling products. The ultimate aim was to plug the knowledge gap on prevalence, harms, and tactics.
The second phase targeted people experiencing gambling harms, including affected others (the families and loved ones of those experiencing harm), to open up the conversation and seek formal and informal support. Across this phase, there were over 1.3 million impressions of the advert shown across On Demand Adsmart from Sky, Channel 4 and ITVX.
Key Impact
By breaking the stigma and showing that gambling harm affects more than just the individual, we reached over 2.9 million people, raising awareness and sparking important discussions.
1,185,285
total video views
2,939,375
total campaign impressions
900
community groups involved
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