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Safer Gambling Bet Regret Campaign

Safer Gambling Bet Regret Campaign

GambleAware launched a men’s prevention campaign to coincide with the Football World Cup to offer football fans practical advice for how they can enjoy the tournament without experiencing ‘Bet Regret’.

Background to the campaign

Following previous iterations of the Safer Gambling Bet Regret Campaign, GambleAware has launched a men’s prevention campaign to coincide with the Football World Cup to offer football fans practical advice for how they can enjoy the tournament without experiencing ‘Bet Regret’ (the sinking feeling after placing a bet you wish you hadn’t).

A briefing note was developed to set out the extensive research programme which has informed the development of this campaign:

  • A detailed narrative review published in December 2020 (avoiding bet regret, by GambleAware), outlining the campaign development process and strategy behind Bet Regret, tailored towards the audience of young males who bet regularly[1]
  • A more technical and data-driven report published in June 2021 (the use of research in the Bet Regret campaign, by Ipsos), outlining the research that went into Bet Regret, and the performance of the campaign to date[2]
  • An internal desk research piece in May 2022 looking at the World Cup moment (by GambleAware), to ensure this was an appropriate time for GambleAware to be raising awareness of gambling harms
  • Several stages of internal strategic and creative development research conducted in August and September 2022 (by Define research), to ensure that the communications developed resonated strongly with men and women who bet, and was tonally appropriate for the World Cup moment
  • Polling research among 2000 football fans published in November 2022 (Football fans gambling harms prevention campaign, by Opinium) to shed light on expected betting behaviours during the World Cup to accompany the release of the campaign[3]
  • Engagement with those with lived experience of gambling harms, key partners (e.g., Football Supporters Association), and stakeholders in the gambling harms community throughout the process

A campaign synopsis available here, summarises the key findings and insights that informed the development of the campaign, alongside outlining the rationale for the campaign. 

[1]See AVOIDING BET REGRET An overview of the campaign to date 
[2]See The use of research in the Bet Regret campaign Synthesis Report 
[3]See https://www.opinium.com/gambleaware/ for more information.

The World Cup Prevention Campaign 

On 14 November 2022, GambleAware launched a men’s prevention campaign to coincide with the Football World Cup to offer football fans practical advice for how they can enjoy the tournament without experiencing ‘Bet Regret’ (the sinking feeling after placing a bet you wish you hadn’t).

The campaign launched across PR, linear TV, broadcast video on demand, digital & social channels and is supported by a paid media partnership with the Mail Metro Media. The campaign is aimed at male sports bettors aged 18-44 with the creative and messaging having resonance to female sports bettors aged 18-49, affected others & the general public. It aims to share advice for safer gambling, and signposts to the GambleAware website for further tools, support and advice.

The campaign idea is brought to life in the TV ad which showcases the potential ways you can get caught up in the excitement and national togetherness of the World Cup moment and do something you might regret. This is supported by the key campaign messages, anyone could get carried away this tournament, whatever regrets you might have, don’t let gambling be one of them. Gambling harms can affect anyone. This has been tested extensively with lived experience groups and the target audience, to positive feedback.  

The TV ad directed by Jack Clough from HunkyDory films can be viewed below.

The campaign landing page includes advice and tools for keeping gambling under control, alongside sharing stories of those who have experienced gambling harms and clear treatment signposting for those who may be experiencing more significant gambling harms.

Robust evaluation of the campaign will be conducted, bringing together campaign tracking, alongside other key data sources such as media metrics, PR metrics and website analytics. This will provide a holistic view of campaign performance, specifically: the exposure and awareness of the campaign; how the campaign engages with audience and how the messages resonate; the impact of the campaign on relevant attitudes and behaviours.

Campaign supporting elements

The campaign press release can be viewed here

The campaign will be supported by several external spokespeople. These will include NHS psychiatrist Dr Max Pemberton, footballing names including Peter Shilton and Lee Hendrie, people with lived experience of gambling harms, as well as partners including The FSA, The SFSA & Supporters Direct Scotland. They will support the campaign by helping football fans who gamble to avoid ‘Bet Regret’ during the World Cup – from setting limits, to deleting apps. Their support will help instil confidence that there is free support and advice available for those who need it.

As part of the PR activity to promote the campaign, we will also launch a film created by production team, Atomized, featuring footballing legend, Peter Shilton, who delivers a ‘team talk’ in a changing room. The narrative shifts from a rousing speech to a team struggling at half-time, to an empathetic pep talk in the mirror, as it is revealed that he is in fact referring to gambling. 

Historic iterations of The "Bet Regret" Campaign

Find out more about Year One and Year Two of the "Bet Regret" campaign below.

Bet Regret Year One

Bet Regret Year Two