80% of UK gambling market costs go to online marketing

UK gambling companies spend significantly more on online marketing than on television ads.

Financial analysis of Regulus Partners testified that total marketing expenses of gambling companies in 2017 reached £1.5 billion, which is 56% higher than in 2014.

Four-fifths of these costs are spent online, including £747 million in direct marketing expenses on the Internet. Affiliate costs amounted to £301 million, while social marketing costs were £149 million. Sponsorship costs for sports teams doubled to £60 million.

Television advertising had cost of £234 million - 15% of the total. Members of the Remote Gambling Association met last week to discuss new restrictions regarding television advertising, but it seems that, regardless of the decision made at the meeting, the “war” will continue on a different front.

Of all the individual sales channels, the use of affiliated online gambling showed the slowest growth rates. This figure has increased by only 2% since 2014.

Despite this, Gamble Aware CEO Mark Etches said: “The report shows that much more attention needs to be paid to the scale of online marketing associated with gambling, and that Internet companies and social networking platforms should be responsible for the availability of information for children.”

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