GambleAware Bet Regret Campaign Encourages Players to Tap Out

Contrary to the idea that “quitters never win” GambleAware’s latest phase of their safer gambling campaign encourages punters to tap out rather than face the regret of overextending themselves financially.

 Go On, Twist My Arm

This latest campaign is aimed at the sports betting segment of Great Britain, in particular the 18-34 year old demographic. A recent report indicates that this segment has a growing awareness of the dangers of problem gambling and GambleAware are looking to capitalise on this new wave of introspection.

The organisations press release said:

“The campaign is targeted at the 2.4m men in Britain who bet frequently on sport and aims to embed Tap Out behaviour, adding friction to a frictionless activity, facilitating the development of self-control, and ultimately helping prevent the onset of gambling addiction.”

At its core the campaign is promoting a logical and simple adjustment to betting behaviour, that of simply taking a short break. From their past experience dealing with problem gamblers the evidence would indicate that a short break while betting reaps great rewards in terms of self-control and the ability to resist loss chasing.

 Laying the Smackdown on Addiction

Given the massive appeal of wrestling to the campaigns core audience GambleAware have built their campaign around the idea of wrestling with your demons, hence the use of the term ‘tap out’.

The campaign’s full slogan is:

“Tap out for Timeout and Avoid Bet Regret.”

The adverts are both entertaining and thought provoking, showing an ordinary bloke man about to get sucked into chasing losses only to be confronted by gigantic wrestler who takes him to the mat and forces him to “tap out” as a way of avoiding problematic behaviour.

In this case the punter is tapping out of the gambling app he is using on his mobile phone, creating some space for the need to chase those losses to subside.

Timing Is Everything

Having the right moves is important but knowing when to use them is the key to winning the match. To maximise the impact and reach of these ads they were premiered during the Premier League football match between Fulham and Arsenal.

With the recent pandemic lockdowns and cessation of sporting events these early games are drawing more viewers than ever as families flock to get their fix of footie – and end up seeing a positive responsible gambling message in the process.

Chair of the Safer Gambling Campaign Board and GambleAware Trustee, Professor Sian Griffiths, said:

“The first year of the Bet Regret campaign had a positive impact on our target audience. We are looking to build on that success by influencing behaviour change through encouraging sports bettors to ‘tap out’ of their gambling app and take a moment to reflect before placing a risky, impulsive bet. This new campaign is designed to help fans steer clear of Bet Regret and reduce potential gambling harms.”

While the impact on younger viewers cannot be measured as of yet we can only hope that messaging advising self-control, measured responses and not giving in to compulsion will have a positive impact on their future decisions making.