Gambling has always been a controversial topic, but it has received more and more regulatory scrutiny ever since it moved online. It was easier to manage or enforce age restriction laws, while casinos or gambling joints were limited to land-based business models.
However, even before the coronavirus outbreak, the number of online users was on a constant rise. In fact, over the past couple of years, the number of underaged gamblers increased to over 50 thousand. Smartphone apps and TV ads took the majority of the blame for this situation.
Today, there is a campaign to end gambling ads in football matches. These are all trendy events in Europe, and many casinos are advertising their products during these events. Also, casinos are often sponsoring multiple football teams, so player uniforms often have their brand and logo on them. So, let’s see how this will affect the sport’s future and its impact on gambling.
Reasons for Concern
The main issues caused by irresponsible gambling are addiction, financial troubles, and even suicide. On the other hand, governments and local communities usually see benefits from allowing casinos to operate. The tax collected from these institutions is high; they also support charitable causes and try to give back to the community. They are also aware of the controversy surrounding their business model. So, no one is advocating for casinos to be banned, but they want to prevent advertising casinos on the content children can see.
These campaigns were successful in the future, and it’s not something we see for the first time. Gambling ads that are considered kid-friendly were recently banned from websites and video games. Moreover, actors in the commercials who look younger than 25 cannot appear in the promotions. But this time around, the attention is focused on football clubs, and many of them have a gambling sponsor or partner.
Pros and Cons of the Initiative
Undesired sponsorships in sports used to be banned in the past – these were alcoholic and tobacco products. As far as smoking is concerned, the number of smokers seems to be dropping, so it can be argued that these campaigns have a positive effect. However, this doesn’t appear to be the case with alcoholism.
Furthermore, the audience found that gambling sponsors were more appropriate, but over time the negative attitude started to prevail due to an increase in the gambling community. This does not mean the sponsorships will end; it could mean that casino platforms and other gambling sites with trusted payment systems in different countries in Europe like PayNplay casino in Netherlands will have to follow an additional set of regulations. A video call might be mandatory to verify the age of the user and a more clear reminder to gamble responsibly.
It’s also necessary for increasing trust while playing for real money in online casinos.
Casino sponsorships were one of the best ways to increase football’s standard, and they helped many teams get better. By banning these sponsors, the clubs will suffer, which is a big downside. However, the idea behind the campaign is to reduce ads or content that is normalising gambling. In other words, it’s not just the issue of minors; it’s a more broad problem that many are struggling with at the moment.
