“Big bet, big loss, big draw“, “Back to Daron“. slogans celebrate spirits. A few days before the start of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the Saint-Saint-Denis administration decided to raise awareness about the dangers of online sports betting by hijacking the slogans of one of the main players in the market, Winamax. So on Monday, the county council launched a prevention campaign on social media built around these two shocking phrases. It will also be displayed in the department’s bus shelters.”a little later on World Time“We know, as well as in other public places.
The date was not chosen by chance. If the online sports betting market has been steadily growing in recent years, it is during major football events that betting explodes. The World Championship to be held in Qatar, which starts on Sunday.there will be all the excesses as well as an explosion of betting on the internet“, expects Stéphane Trussel, President of the Departmental Council (PS) of Saint-Saint-Denis. This is based on predictions by the National Gaming Authority (ANJ) that at least €530 million should be wagered online during the 2022 World Cup, which is 44% more than during the previous World Cup. The world in 2018 and 22. percent more than during Euro 2021.
It is no coincidence that this initiative was launched in Saint-Saint-Denis. “It is clear that very aggressive advertising campaigns of operators use slogans, vocabulary, images, visuals that can be of working-class neighborhoods, of young people.Stefan Trussell notes. In other words, these operators, led by Winamax, Unibet or Betclic, target particularly vulnerable and ubiquitous population categories in Saint-Saint-Denis.the youngest and most popular section of metropolitan France“, evaluates Stefan Trussel.
“I do not accept that we make the residents and especially the young people understand that we can improve our situation by gambling big money.“, he criticizes. While some experienced bettors are able to make money from this activity or even make a living from it, losses are much more common and growing. According to ANJ, in 2021 they reached 1.3 billion euros, or 40% more than in 2020.One in four young players borrowed money or sold something to keep playing”, adds Stefan Trussel, accepting the results of the 2021 survey of the SEDAP association (Society for Mutual Aid and Psychological Action) for ANJ. The danger of addiction is also present, psychologists have been warning for a long time.
If the department’s campaign is aimed at prevention, it is more broadly aimed at drawing attention to the practices of online betting operators and demanding stricter regulation. “Compared to other European countries, France has very weak legislation in this areasays Stefan Trussel. The elected official of the department cites the examples of Italy, which has banned all advertising in this sector, Spain, which has banned it on the Internet and limited it to TV and radio, or even the United Kingdom, which prohibits top athletes and influencers from linking their name to brands in this sector.
“Tidying up this jungle”
In addition to advertising, Stefan Trussel calls for global regulations, particularly on welcome offers or gambling for minors, which are still prohibited but widespread; More than a third of 15-17 year olds surveyed in 2021 say they have already placed a bet. “By confronting these operators without faith or law, we must bring order to this jungle.“, evaluates Stefan Trussel. Moreover, powerful companies, because the department’s campaign was rejected with a poster in two shopping centers of Saint-Saint-Denis, citing that it has a contract with Winamax, the socialist tells.
The latter is going to write to MPs to invite them to take up the subject. “I am sure that considering the response of our campaign, the parliamentarians will deal with this issue– he trusts, is optimistic, the chosen one. Especially since ANJ also launched its own prevention campaign on Monday called “Look, you lost”, which is available on posters and with a piece of rap.
Operators’ latest commitments in favor of “responsive digital advertisingNot enough for Stefan Trussell. Through a statute signed last week, under the auspices of the ANJ, all authorized gambling operators in France have committed to limit “advertising pressure on all communication media (TV, radio, poster and digital) and strengthen the protection of minors and at-risk audiences;“.
Don’t broadcast two ad messages back-to-back and don’t reach out to influencers who have “16% audience or equal in the 13-17 age groupare among the proposed measures. In the latest evidence of growing pressure on the sector, Arcom (formerly CSA) recently extended rules governing audiovisual sports betting advertising on streaming and replay platforms.
Source: Le Figaro
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