Written by Strategy Director at Icon Agency, Mat Crompton and Behavioural Science Specialist, Kris White.
This article was originally published in Mumbrella.
Development and approval of gambling harm taglines is a difficult endeavour. The final result must satisfy a complex range of stakeholders—not least the gambling companies themselves.
For too long, using the term ‘gamble responsibly’ has been an abdication of well, responsibility – from those with power to the individual gambler.
Alternatives have been tried around the world. In the UK, the line ‘When the fun stops, stop’ has been proven to be ineffectual (Newell et al. 2022) and, if anything, simply reminds gamblers that gambling is, indeed, fun.
The new anti-gambling taglines that will be implemented here in Australia should be commended—any replacement of the old ‘gamble responsibly’ line should be commended. However, they are still ostensibly health warnings:
Chances are you’re about to lose
You win some. You lose more
Is this a bet you really want to place?
What’s gambling really costing you?
What are you really gambling with?
What are you prepared to lose today? Set a deposit limit
Imagine what you could be buying instead
These lines rightfully consider a range of different biases and motivations, however, we feel further analysis is required.
Read more about our Behaviour change marketing and communications services here.
