Experts warn that online gambling is using the same tactics as tobacco companies

Online gambling companies are using the same old guidelines that the big tobacco companies put out at the time. A group of public health experts from institutions in several countries published a joint editorial to call attention to how the industry is copying dangerous tactics. Between them funding research into the harm they cause or lobbying governments relax the rules. The risk, they warn, is amplified by the opportunities of the digital world.

New technologies have allowed the industry to “quickly sow doubt and create public debate with devastating consequences for the health and well-being of society,” the magazine said in a statement. International health promotion.

The editorial mentions that the strategy, which the tobacco and alcohol industries have tried before, involves “appropriating research and knowledge” and curbing “public health responses through corporate political activity.” The text was signed by 12 scientists from Australia, UK and Africa.

This means having the dynamics of a casino with the easy access that a mobile phone provides, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Damages from gambling ‘can ruin lives’, says the analysis. Now, thanks to “highly sophisticated” products and practices, “damage can happen even faster and on a larger scale.” The group is focusing on the impact on the younger population.

Internet gambling and the dangers for young people

According to the Foundation for Drug Addictions in Spain, young people under the age of 34 are 50% of those who participate in online gambling. These games are, in fact, the leading cause of gambling addiction in people under 26, the organization said in a study published in 2021. Another fact: the Spanish Ministry of Health estimates that 9.4% of young people aged 14 to 18 place bets online.

This happens not only in Spain. A study was published this month showing how gambling addiction has contributed to… 184 suicides in Victoria, Australia for eight years. Most cases involved men aged 17 to 44 years. The investigation cites the coronavirus pandemic and online gambling as aggravating the problem. There are studies that claim that during quarantine the number of users has tripled.

According to the Nevada Council on Problem Gambling, the state in which Las Vegas is located (USA), up to Half of people with gambling addiction suffer from suicidal thoughts. New report published in International health promotion indicates that the negative consequences of gambling also affect families and communities. Mentions domestic violence, crime, problematic substance use, and economic costs.

“Governments have been unprepared and complacent in dealing with the impact of rapid technological change on the games industry,” the scientists say. These include Samantha Thomas (Deakin University, Australia) and Teurai Rwafa-Ponela (University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa). In the US, sports betting will become legal in more than 30 states later this year following a 2018 Supreme Court ruling.

What actions should you take?

The “ubiquitous” marketing of gambling online and on television is helping to normalize the situation among children and young people, according to the think tank. Often endorsed by celebrities and sports heroes.

Just as the online gambling industry is exploiting the strategy of tobacco companies, governments need to look at what has been done to stop them. Scientists featured in the report argue that adopt a structure similar to that created by the World Health Organization in 2003.

More than 180 countries recognized in this agreement “fundamental and irreconcilable conflict between tobacco industry interests and health policy. “The political will of governments to enact policies and laws to combat hazardous industries can have a transformative impact on public health and well-being,” the group emphasizes.

He mentions some examples that have already been implemented, such as this year’s recognition that the gaming industry is a key vector of harm in Victoria, Australia. In Belgium, for example, new tax laws and regulations prohibit gaming companies from deducting sponsorship expenses. And in Spain, a number of measures are being discussed to limit advertising of this type of activity.

These are important steps that will pave the way for more effective regulation of online gambling. But they add: “Unfortunately, the strong financial interests of gambling beneficiaries may prevent the adoption of sensible and proportionate public health policies.”