Can you remember the days just before the privatisation of the railways? British Rail had improved service to a very high level of efficiency and the fares were comparatively cheap by today’s standards – but there were always empty seats and coaches with hardly any passengers.
Fast forward to today, and what do we see? The service is appalling, the fares are exorbitant, but the carriages are overcrowded. What has changed? The answer is advertising.
British Rail never seemed to bother much with public relations, whereas the privatised companies do. We hardly notice their advertising campaigns and the adverts are certainly not high pressure, but they are effective.
Another example comes from the tobacco industry. Years ago, tobacco products were advertised freely, and starting smoking became almost a rite of passage for growing up. Then tobacco advertising was banned before the 9.00pm threshold on television and, in the end, banned altogether. Since then PR health campaigns and changes in the law have taken away the glamour of smoking, and peoples’ health has improved.
So, what do readers make of gambling adverts? There has always been a relationship between betting and sport. Aren’t we all expected to have a flutter on the National Lottery? Who has not placed a bet on a horse at the Grand National or on a football team, but does this kind of gambling always have to be in our face?
There are multiple freeview television channels, but with the sole exception of the BBC, all of them depend on advertising. I watch them regularly – not just Channels 3 – 5. It’s great to see repeats of old films and old favourites like Dad’s Army, Allo! Allo! To the Manor Born, Midsomer Murders, and Van der Valk. But then come the adverts – four slots an hour, and often two gambling adverts in every slot – eight television gambling adverts every hour – high pressure promotion.
Some may say: ‘But aren’t these adverts aimed at people of low intelligence who are “not like us” and are easily overimpressed by glitz, sham excitement and false glamour? So how could “intelligent people like us” ever be taken in?’ Oh yes, we can
Some years ago, I met someone on a train on my way to work. I sked him what he did. He told me he was a professional fraud witness. I was surprised. I did not know his profession existed. So, I asked him if there were many fraud cases. He told me there were. He explained there were bank and building society managers, solicitors, accountants and businessmen who had gambled with other people’s money entrusted to their care. Most of them intend to return the money out of winnings, but somehow one lost gamble leads to another, and the money is never repaid. So, they end up in court charged with fraud.
Prospective punters may relish the excitement of the game, and no doubt there are some professionals with the skills of a James Bond who can beat the bank. But, if you haven’t been trained as a professional, you stand no chance. I once went to a wedding reception where guests were entertained with an evening roulette event. The game was for free, and nobody had to buy their chips, but the roulette wheel was real, and the girl croupiers were professionals. It was astonishing. It did not matter how well the guests played – the bank won every time.
It should be no surprise that gambling companies make billions and pay their top executives a fortune. I once met a young man who was clearly very rich. So, I asked him how he had come by his wealth. He explained how he had set up a gambling site on the internet at minimal expense. It had become very successful. Then a leading gambling company had bought him out for several million pounds.
Whilst we may admire business success, success should not be at the expense of vulnerable people. Before Tony Blair’s government legalised gambling, compulsive gambling was not the social problem it is today.
A government survey in 2013 found that 1% of the UK adult population had a gambling addiction; 3.8% gambled at risk levels and 7% were affected by other people’s addiction to problem gambling.
No lawmaker will ever stop people from gambling or placing bets, but government can stop harmful advertising. It’s no good telling people to “gamble responsibly”, when the purpose of the advert is to get impressionable people to waste their money.
Gambling can have a profound effect on relationships, family, finances and physical and mental health. If the law can ban tobacco adverts because of the effect of tobacco on physical health, it should ban gambling and betting adverts because of the effect on families, society and mental health.
Ends
