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It has been revealed that almost half of all the money spent on gambling marketing in the UK last year was spent on online marketing, with the total spend on gambling marketing rising to £1.5 billion (over $1.9 billion) in just three years.
Online Marketing Boom
In a clear sign that the gambling industry sees online betting as the future, 80% of all gambling marketing money is now spent online. A report commissioned from gambling industry specialists Regulus Partners by the UK charity Gamble Aware shows that in 2017, leading UK betting companies spent £747 million on direct online marketing.
A further £149 million was spent on social media advertising alone – treble the amount spent in 2014. This total of £947 million ($1.2 billion) dwarfs the still enormous £234 million ($300 million dollars) spent on TV advertising. Spending on sponsorships has also risen to £60 million ($77 million).
Pressure Group And Charity Concerns
The release of the figures comes at a crunch time for the UK gambling industry. The much-publicised row over the cutting of maximum stakes on in-store gambling machines has been in the headlines for the past year. This has now been joined by concern from charities and pressure groups in the UK about young people gambling.
A recent report claimed that just under 60% of children aged 11-16 had seen adverts for online gambling on social media. This has alarmed gambling charities who feel that children should be protected from such advertising at a young age.
Onwards And Upwards?
With the cutting of stakes on in-store machines and claims of mistargeted advertising, it is likely that the budget for online gambling marketing will continue to rise. Companies will surely seek to maximise their audience share as gambling through apps and websites becomes ever quicker and more intuitive.
The need to counter accusations of showing adverts to those too young to gamble may result in further spending as companies will possibly have to pay more to target their social media campaigns at more specific customer bases.