In October 2021, the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) launched the “Take Time to Think” safer gambling campaign to help UK customers stay in control of their gambling. But a recent academic evaluation has found the campaign to be ineffective, as players’ gambling behavior remains unchanged even if they see the slogan.
No Impact on Gambling Behavior
Researchers at the University of Warwick carried out online tests on 1,500 UK customers to determine the effectiveness of the campaign. The results show that the slogan does not change the way people gamble – they still stick to their usual play, spending the same amount of time and money gambling even if the message is being shown to them while they play.
Even the previous slogan adopted by the industry, “When the Fun Stops, Stop”, also had no impact on the gambling behavior of UK players, according to the study.
Use Stronger Messaging
Elliot Ludvig, Professor of Psychology at the University of Warwick, said the wording used in the slogan may not be strong enough to convince players to pause and consider the harmful effects of gambling. The study recommends that awareness messaging must be strongly worded just like the warnings used in alcohol and tobacco products. The campaign must also be independently developed, tested, and validated.
