GambleAware launches “No Bet Inn” to discourage in-game betting
Focus on in-play betting questioned by Sky Bet chairman Richard Flint
GambleAware has launched its first “No Bet Inn”, as part of a campaign designed to discourage betting made while drinking.
Ex-Liverpool player Luis Garcia encouraged customers in a pub in Liverpool to voluntarily give up their mobile phones for the duration of the Liverpool vs Chelsea game on 14 April.
The promotion forms part of GambleAware’s ‘Bet Regret’ campaign, launched earlier this year which aims to encourage responsible gambling by focusing on bets made on impulse.
Recent GambleAware research has found that one in five bettors aged between 18-44 had placed a bet whilst drunk over a four-week period, with 74% of bettors choosing to bet in-play over the same time-frame.
The utility of the campaign was questioned by industry execs, with Sky Bet chairman Richard Flint suggesting that the focus on in-play betting was misplaced.
Totally agree. This is a shameful waste of RET funding (which comes from the industry). I absolutely believe (as you do, I know) that much much more needs to be done to reduce gambling harm but not through stunts like this.
— Richard Flint (@YorkshireFlint) April 23, 2019
The existing Bet Regret campaign includes TV advertisements including one themed specifically for the Cheltenham horseracing festival which took place earlier this year.
Primarily targeted at men aged 16-34, the Bet Regret campaign is being funded through specific additional donations to GambleAware, in line with previous commitments to the government by broadcasters, advertisers and gambling firms.
The campaign appears to be a nod to the William Hill Arms, a pub which the operator took over for England games in the last World Cup.