Today, Gaming America attended SBC’s Betting on Sports Europe event, where we witnessed a panel featuring a discussion on the importance of responsible marketing in the gaming industry.
Led by Adrian Sladdin, managing director at Seventh Wave Corporation, the panel also featured Ben Cove of Pinnacle Sports, Ricardo Pinco at Darwin Gaming and Martin Lycka, SVP for American Regulatory Affairs and Responsible Gambling at Entain.
“Things are changing slowly in the US,” began Lycka regarding the United States' adoption of responsible marketing.
“I think that in my experience, our industry has made huge steps in the right direction. Responsible marketing is in the express interests of operators and affiliates. In doing so we build sustainability for gaming. The likes of Entain are leading the way in regards to this,” commented Ben Cove.
Lycka went on to chronicle the history of gaming advertisement: “We have a history of a lot of good ads and bad ads. When it comes to responsible advertising, I believe this goes hand in hand with the content of the advert. We have to keep it simple, you can seamlessly factor in any responsible gambling messaging.”
“The US, despite being an immature market, has a bigger focus on responsible gaming advertisement than many other places,” added Pinco.
A key message from the panel was undoubtedly simplicity; when a commercial is simple and easy to understand, the panel believes it will be easier to add in a responsibility message.
“What are the dos and don'ts of gaming marketing?” the host posited. Answers ranged from improved regulation from government bodies to discussions between operators and regulators to discuss what responsible marketing entails.
“Ultimately, it's in the industry’s interest to be responsible; the likes of the US, Canada and Latin America have a great opportunity to become leaders in this, with the positive mood that exists in the region moving over the Atlantic to Europe,” Lycka detailed.
