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Why ‘Responsible Gambling’ Is Failing & What Evidence Says Should Replace It

By jili tutorial · September 5, 2026

Why ‘Responsible Gambling’ Is Failing & What Evidence Says Should Replace It

Gambling companies are increasingly running adverts that promote responsible gambling. Major US operators such as FanDuel and DraftKings have launched multi-million-dollar standalone campaigns featuring well-known brand ambassadors. In the UK, most firms now commit to dedicating at least 20% of all TV and radio advertising to safer gambling messaging. Yet research shows that users do not trust these companies to deliver the message, and generic slogans like “gamble responsibly” are largely ignored.

A more powerful approach may be one that triggers guilt or shame in gamblers, particularly when the message comes from a trusted source such as a public health authority. Crucially, these feelings may need to connect with how an individual is perceived by those around them.

Research Points to Guilt and Family as Powerful Motivators

Researchers at the University of Bristol conducted a study examining how different self-appraisal messages affected gamblers in the UK. The most impactful message was: “Would you be comfortable telling your family how much you lost gambling today?” This question made participants — especially those categorized as high-risk gamblers — feel guilty and express a desire to gamble less.

“This resonates as a powerful message. It would stop me in my tracks if I saw this,” one participant said. Others described it as “necessarily hard-hitting” and “just cold hard reality,” far more effective than current responsible gambling messaging.

“The finding suggests that successful self-appraisal messages might work by creating a degree of discomfort regarding one’s gambling,” the paper concluded.

Dr. Philip Newall, who led the study, told CasinoBeats that the guilt is most effective when driven by the thought of telling family. GambleAware previously ran a “Bet Regret” campaign, which drew criticism for increasing feelings of self-blame. “I think priming family is an important part of the message,” Newall says. “If the guilt was just purely internal, then there’s more of a risk that the feeling just gets balled up and ends up driving you to more gambling as avoidance.”

Some research links feelings of shame to higher rates of depression, anxiety, and continued addictive behaviors, including gambling. Users may gamble to relieve shame, but losing more money ultimately intensifies negative emotions, trapping them in a vicious cycle.

“If you are thinking of your parents or your kid, that’s really quite a strong motivator,” Newall adds. “When you’re in the gambling zone, I think the tendency is to be inwardly looking, and you’re not really thinking about others. So I think that is an important part of the message, the explicit cueing of family.”

Recovered gambling addict Louis Ruggiero told CasinoBeats that a friend asking him to be honest about his gambling with friends and family sparked his recovery. By tapping into something deeply important to humans — how your family will react — this type of message could inspire real change.

Why Gambling Companies Are Not Trusted Messengers

A separate study published in the Psychology of Addictive Behaviors journal last month showed that responsible gambling ads are trusted less when they come from gambling companies compared with health agencies.

Research student Chance Dow led the study at the University of Memphis and discussed the results with CasinoBeats. The findings align with qualitative data Dow has collected in focus groups. He also works as a clinician at the Gambling Clinic in Tennessee, helping people experiencing gambling harm.

“The main sentiment that was being shared within those focus groups is the broad mistrust of the gambling industry to promote responsible gambling,” Dow said. “A platform is pushing me different promotions, like ‘bet $5, get $250 for free’ when you first sign up. Does it make sense if they’re also saying, ‘Hey, you know, you should gamble responsibly’? To those people, it didn’t make sense.”

Dow notes there is relatively little research on the importance of the source of responsible gambling messaging and how it is framed. His study also compared generic messages like “gamble responsibly” with a self-appraisal message: “Is money all you are losing?” The results showed no meaningful differences between the message types, but the study used only one type of self-appraisal message. Newall’s work suggests that the specific framing of self-appraisal may be crucial.

The State of Responsible Gambling Spending and Regulation

The amount spent on responsible gambling advertising remains low, especially in the US. Last year, companies spent $3.9 billion on marketing and advertising, with only about $60 million allocated to responsible gambling campaigns.

In the UK, the proportion is higher. In 2023, the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), which includes around 90% of licensed gambling companies, introduced a rule requiring that a fifth of all advertising focus on safer gambling messages. However, a study last year found that videos produced by betting companies to promote safer gambling may actually encourage bettors to gamble more.

“It’s unacceptable that adverts claiming to help people reduce their risk of harm are encouraging people to gamble more instead,” said Alexia Clifford, GambleAware’s chief communications officer.

Newall started researching the effect of messaging seven years ago and says he has not seen much change in campaigns. There may be more ads, but they are not necessarily integrating research findings. “It’s very hard to have any sort of collaboration in the UK,” Newall said. “I think smaller countries are often more collaborative.”

The shift in who leads responsible gambling efforts in the UK has also complicated matters. GambleAware ceased operations in March this year. “The Department of Health and Social Care is aiming to take on the prevention side that GambleAware was in charge of, but I think it’s really too soon to see any changes,” says Newall. “When a new organization takes over, they’ve got to take a while to get under the hood and figure out how they want to do things.”

The Future: Evidence-Based and Human-Centered Campaigns

With generic messaging delivered by gambling companies shown to be largely ineffective, researchers argue that operators must adopt evidence-based practices. A study last year analyzed 3,200 articles published between 1890 and September 2024. The researchers similarly concluded that self-appraisal messages are preferred and recommended presenting them dynamically, such as in pop-ups when playing electronic gaming machines. Messages should also vary based on the gambler’s risk level.

Operators may be unwilling to interrupt gambling sessions with personalized self-appraisal messages unless they are mandated. However, there is some appetite for campaigns that resonate more with a company’s user base. Groups like the Digital Wellness Center are working with companies to engage users, and evidence suggests that refraining from framing messages as “responsible gambling” can improve campaign reach.

Casino Guru and WinSpirit Casino — companies that generate revenue from players’ gambling at online casinos — ran campaigns with the Digital Wellness Center and received high engagement.

“The industry still treats Responsible Gaming as a static, defensive feature — warnings and disclaimers — when the real opportunity is to make it feel human and relevant,” WinSpirit PR Manager Kate Jones told CasinoBeats. “That’s the thread connecting our work with the Digital Wellness Center and initiatives like SmartPlay: RG works best when it doesn’t feel like RG.”

The Need for More Research and Collaboration

“This is kind of a cop-out research answer, but I think always more research is needed,” said Dow. Along with others at the University of Memphis, he is working on new studies spanning psychology, economics, and marketing.

Marketing professor Ganga Hewage told CasinoBeats that after conducting a thorough literature review, she was struck by the lack of research on responsible gambling communications, given how much research exists on gambling communications in general.

“If a gambling company is going to do responsible gambling in the future, I think there needs to be more testing to understand what kind of programs work,” says Hewage. “Any initiative has to be meaningful, evidence-based, and credible in the eyes of consumers,” she adds.

While Newall is also conducting several studies at the University of Bristol, he advocates a proactive approach by public health groups and governments. “I definitely think there’s no such thing as perfect evidence or a perfect study, and oftentimes a ‘lack of evidence’ is used to support the status quo, which is counterproductive to public health. So, I think…”