BGC CEO Sides With Gambling Advertisement Against Sunday School Prohibitionists
Micheal Dugher CEO of the Betting and Gaming Council has provided his views on the latest scrutiny that the gambling advertisement has to face for the past few weeks.
Dugher listed out the academic study that was put further by the DCMS Minister, John Whittingdale, leading to the Government’s ongoing gambling reviews.
The study suggested that there are no possible links between the exposure of gambling advertisements and the enhancements of the problem gambling traits.
He also pointed out that the betting industry is the major highlight during the crisis the country faced during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the state faced an unprecedented cash crisis, the gambling industry provided millions.
Dugher commented, “This financial support has been especially important during the pandemic, with the absence of crowds leaving a black hole in clubs’ balance sheets.”
BGC CEO
While the critics have argued that the exposure of advertisements by the sports betting companies in football could result in the rise of problem gambling and since the majority of football fans are way younger it might lead to a huge impact on the younger minds as well.
Hence keeping in mind both the arguments led by the critics and BGC, the English Football League has asked University of Liverpool professor, Ian McHale, to lead his own study on the relationship between gambling advertising and football.
Hence, the study done by Ian McHale concludes that no evidence showed that betting companies becoming the sponsor of the advertisement would lead to problem gambling.
Apart from this, an advertisement dedicated to “whistle-to-whistle ban” has also been induced on TV betting commercials from five minutes before the match starts and leading to five minutes after the match ends.
This led to a 97% decrease in the number of advertisements seen by the children during the match.
Dugher concludes, “Of course, there will also be anti-gambling campaigners – Sunday school prohibitionists and the like – who will use any excuse to repeat their calls for banning advertising.”
“But serious policy-makers have to deal in evidence, not excuses. The painful reality for those who don’t like betting is that their arguments simply do not stack up.”