Liberal Democrats call for end to ‘When The Fun Stops, Stop’ campaign
Third political party calls for overhaul of UK gambling industry and a “bold” solution
The Liberal Democrats has called for an end to GambleAware’s ‘When the Fun Stops, Stop’ slogan amid concerns it is exacerbating a “gambling crisis” in the UK.
The party, currently ranked third in polling behind Labour and the Conservatives, said it is time for an “industry overhaul” of the UK gambling sector.
Former Liberal Democrat MP John Leech, who led the campaign for curbs on fixed-odds betting terminals, called for the scrapping of the ‘fun’ slogan and an end to in-game/in-play betting.
“The Lib Dems will continue our work to overhaul the gambling industry by tackling adverts for online betting which encourages ‘penny to pound gambling’ and marketing,” Leech said.
“There is now enough proof that the crass ‘When The Fun Stops, Stop’ slogan is not working, and it could be exacerbating the national gambling crisis. It’s time to scrap the slogan because let’s be honest, by the time ‘the fun stops’, you are already dangerously addicted,” Leech added.
Members of the House of Lords select committee met yesterday as part of the government’s enquiry into the social and economic impact of the gambling industry in the UK. Speaking about the enquiry, Leech called on both houses to “disregard any vested interests and work towards a bold solution” in addressing the impact of gambling in the UK.
“This crisis will not be resolved by tapping around the edges – urgent action is needed by the government to end the suffering,” Leech added.
Gambling Commission CEO Neil McArthur also reiterated his previous calls for a new safer gambling slogan last week, citing new research showing ‘When the Fun Stops, Stop’ has no impact on gambling levels.
The slogan was first introduced by the Senet Group in 2015 and appears on all advertisements belonging to UK-licensed operators.
In July, a GambleAware commissioned study undertaken by Ipsos Mori revealed the ‘Bet Regret’ campaign, which aims to encourage self-awareness among gamblers, had a wider awareness level than the ‘When the Fun Stops, Stop’ campaign.