GambleAware, the United Kingdom's biggest gambling charity, announced the launch of a new campaign aimed at protecting football fans ahead of and during the Fifa World Cup, saying that tournament might create a "perfect storm" for gambling harm.
Shielding Football Fans from a Perfect Storm
In its decision to launch a fresh campaign, GambleAware relied on recent data from an online survey conducted by Opinium. According to Opinium, of 2,000 British football fans who responded to the survey, 61% said the World Cup and other international sporting events feature too many ads.
Moreover, 28% of them said they were worried about how much they might lose while betting during the World Cup, while 56% said losing more money than expected is easy.
Rising cost of living and excessive marketing activity during the World Cup might lead to financial problems for some fan, GambleAware said.
GambleAware stressed that anticipated betting activity, coupled with the rising cost of living in the UK and the fact the tournament is taking place just before the Christmas period, could lead to financial problems for fans.
Therefore, the charity decided to step in, linking up with the Football Supporters Association (FSA) and several former football players for a new campaign to raise awareness of the early warning signs of gambling harm.
Keeping Impulsive Bets in Check
As part of the initiative, GambleAware said it would offer advice on how to enjoy the tournament without experiencing "Bet Regret", a feeling punters may experience following an impulsive bet.
"This should be an enjoyable time for all football fans, but with the sheer volume of football and the amount of betting ads, it can be easy to get carried away with betting – and we can see that many fans are already feeling anxious about this," GambleAware chief executive Zoë Osmond said.
"As the cost of living crisis bites and people feel the pinch in the run-up to Christmas, this could create a 'perfect storm' where fans resort to gambling as a way to cope," Osmond stressed.
The initiative was endorsed by gambling minister Paul Scully, who praised it for "practical actions people can take to avoid gambling-related harms."
