Why ‘Responsible Gambling’ is Failing & What Evidence Says Should Replace It

Increasingly, gambling companies are producing adverts focused on responsible gambling. Major US operators such as FanDuel and DraftKings have launched multi-million-dollar standalone responsible gambling campaigns starring high-profile brand ambassadors.

In the UK, most companies are committed to dedicating at least 20% of all TV and radio advertising to safer gambling messaging.

However, research suggests users do not trust companies to deliver the messaging, and generic slogans such as “gamble responsibly” are largely ignored.

A more powerful message may be one that triggers guilt or shame in gamblers, particularly if it comes from more trusted sources, such as public health authorities. It may also be important that those feelings of guilt or shame relate to how an individual is perceived by those around them.

Guilt Gains Traction, According to New Research

Researchers at the University of Bristol led a study examining the effects of different self-appraisal messages on gamblers in the UK.

The one that hit home the most was, “Would you be comfortable telling your family how much you lost gambling today?“

It made participants, particularly those categorized as high-risk gamblers, feel both guilty and express a desire to gamble less.

“This resonates as a powerful message. It would stop me in my tracks if I saw this,” said one participant. Others said it was far more powerful than current responsible gambling messaging. They framed it as “necessarily hard-hitting” and “just cold hard reality.”

“The finding suggests that successful self-appraisal messages might work by creating a degree of discomfort regarding one’s gambling,” said the paper.

Dr. Philip Newall, who led the study, told CasinoBeats that it is important that the guilt is driven by the thought of telling family about your gambling. GambleAware previously ran a “Bet Regret” campaign, which faced criticism for increasing feelings of self-blame.

“I think priming family is an important part of the message,” Newall says. “If the guilt was just purely internal, then there’s more of a risk that the feeling just gets balled up and ends up driving you to more gambling as avoidance.”

Some research shows that feelings of shame are linked to increased rates of depression, anxiety, and continued addictive behavior, such as gambling. Users may be driven to gamble to relieve shame, but if they lose more money, this ultimately increases their negative emotions, trapping them in a vicious circle.

“If you are thinking of your parents or your kid, that’s really quite a strong motivator,” Newall adds. “When you’re in the gambling zone, I think the tendency is to be inwardly looking, and you’re not really thinking about others. So I think that is an important part of the message, the explicit cueing of family.”

Recovered gambling addict Louis Ruggiero told CasinoBeats it was a friend asking him to be honest about his gambling with friends and family that sparked his recovery.

By tapping into one of the most important things to humans, messaging focused on how your family will react could be a powerful thought to inspire change.

Companies Not Trusted to Promote Responsible Gambling

Another study published last month in the Psychology of Addictive Behaviors journal showed that responsible gambling ads are trusted less when they come from gambling companies compared to health agencies.

Research student Chance Dow led the study at the University of Memphis and discussed the results with CasinoBeats this week.

The findings align with the qualitative data Dow has collected in focus groups. He also works as a clinician at the Gambling Clinic in Tennessee, helping those experiencing gambling harm.

“The main sentiment that was being shared within those focus groups is the broad mistrust of the gambling industry to promote responsible gambling,” Dow said.

“A platform is pushing me different promotions, like ‘bet $5, get $250 for free’ when you first sign up. Does it make sense if they’re also saying, ‘Hey, you know, you should gamble responsibly’? To those people, it didn’t make sense.”

Dow says there is relatively little research on the importance of the sources of responsible gambling messaging and their framing. His study also looked at the content of the message, comparing generic messages, such as “gamble responsibly,” with self-appraisal messages, such as “Is money all you are losing?”

The results showed no meaningful differences between the message types, but they used only one type of self-appraisal message. Newall’s work shows that the framing of self-appraisal may be crucial.

RG Spending Low, but Increasing

The amount of money spent on responsible gambling advertising remains low, particularly in the US. Last year, companies spent $3.9 billion on marketing and advertising. Of this, around $60 million was on responsible gambling campaigns.

In the UK, the proportion is higher. In 2023, the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), which includes around 90% of licensed gambling companies, introduced the 20% rule. It dictates that a fifth of all advertising should focus on safer gambling messages.

However, a study last year found that videos produced by betting companies to promote safer gambling may actually encourage bettors to gamble.

“It’s unacceptable that adverts claiming to help people reduce their risk of harm are encouraging people to gamble more instead,” said Alexia Clifford, GambleAware chief communications officer.

Newall started researching the effect of messaging seven years ago and said he has not seen much change in campaigns. There may be more, but they are not necessarily integrating research findings into the adverts.

“It’s very hard to have any sort of collaboration in the UK,” said Newall. “I think smaller countries are often more collaborative.”

The shift in who leads efforts to promote responsible gambling in the UK has also complicated matters. GambleAware ceased operations in March this year.

“The Department of Health and Social Care is aiming to take on the prevention side that GambleAware was in charge of, but I think it’s really too soon to see any changes,” says Newall. “When a new organization takes over, they’ve got to take a while to get under the hood and figure out how they want to do things.”

The Future of Responsible Gambling Campaigns

With generic messaging delivered by gambling companies shown to be largely ineffective, operators must adopt evidence-based practice, say researchers.

A study last year analyzed 3,200 articles published between 1890 and September 2024. The researchers similarly said that self-appraisal messages are preferred and recommended presenting these dynamically, such as in pop-ups when playing electronic gaming machines. The messages should also vary based on the gambler’s risk level.

Operators may be unwilling to interrupt gambling sessions with personalized self-appraisal messages unless they are mandated.

But there is some appetite to deliver responsible gambling campaigns that resonate more with a company’s user base. Groups like the Digital Wellness Center are working with companies to engage users, and evidence suggests that refraining from framing messages as “responsible gambling” can also improve campaign reach.

Casino Guru and WinSpirit Casino, companies that generate revenue from players’ gambling at online casinos, ran campaigns with the Digital Wellness Center. They received high engagement.

“The industry still treats Responsible Gaming as a static, defensive feature — warnings and disclaimers — when the real opportunity is to make it feel human and relevant,” WinSpirit PR Manager Kate Jones told CasinoBeats. “That’s the thread connecting our work with the Digital Wellness Center and initiatives like SmartPlay: RG works best when it doesn’t feel like RG.”

More Research & Trials Needed

“This is kind of a cop-out research answer, but I think always more research is needed,” said Dow. Along with others at the University of Memphis, he is working on new studies.

The research goes across different domains, including psychology, economics, and marketing. Marketing professor Ganga Hewage told CasinoBeats that, after conducting a thorough literature review, she was struck by the lack of research on responsible gambling communications, given how much research there is on gambling communications in general.

“If a gambling company is going to do responsible gambling in the future, I think there needs to be more testing to understand what kind of programs work,” says Hewage.

“Any initiative has to be meaningful, evidence-based, and credible in the eyes of consumers,” she adds.

While Newall is also conducting several studies at the University of Bristol, he advocates a proactive approach by public health groups and governments.

“I definitely think there’s no such thing as perfect evidence or a perfect study, and oftentimes a ‘lack of evidence’ is used to support the status quo, which is counterproductive to public health. So, I think the key thing is just to explore things, explore things in naturalistic environments, but also measure them, so the approaches could be improved and updated over time,” he says.

“A clear next step would be to see if adding a clear call to action would make the message even more effective. So, for example, if someone ran a trial with a gambling company and explored adding a button like ‘set a deposit limit.’ That nudging of a behavioral response could make the message even more effective.”

While operators may publicly declare their commitment to responsible gambling, that commitment must always be balanced against the bottom line. That is why Ruggiero says companies should not be left to fund responsible gambling efforts.

Finding the right balance is most important for both companies and individuals. It is up to governments and health boards to help them do that.