You may have already seen the ‘Bad Betty’ gambling advert on TV over the last few weeks, it certainly catches the attention of the viewer but will this help problem gamblers?
Senet Group £2 Million advertising campaign
The Senet Group, the industry body set up by four of the UK’s biggest betting companies to promote responsible gambling last year, has launched a £2 million advertising campaign to encourage customers to stop betting when they are spending more than they can afford. There are two television adverts feature men frustrated by losing a bet, but before they have chance to place another bet the characters around them break into song to the tune of Ram Jam’s 1970’s hit Black Betty, repeating the lyrics “Whoa Bad Bet bam-a-lam”. A voiceover then says: “If you’re betting when you’re angry or frustrated it’s a bad betty, so pause for a moment and think again,” ending with the Group’s tagline, “When the fun stops, stop.”
First responsible gambling TV advert
It is the first time that the gambling industry has aired a television advert marketing responsible gambling, and the agency behind the campaign is hoping that the humour will make the message hit home. Neil Simpson, partner at ad agency The Corner, said: “Bad Betty is a campaign we believe will firmly lodge itself in the cultural consciousness of British gamblers.” Ron Finlay, chief executive of the Senet Group, explained that they advert is trying to convey an important message without preaching to customers and hopes it will smooth over the relationship with gambling opponents. Mr Finlay said: “We want to see them and talk to them about the issues related to problem gambling. We are neutral and independent, if they know how problem gambling originates it will be more productive to work in union to achieve our common objective, which is to reduce the levels of problem gambling”. The TV adverts will be shown in the breaks between major sporting events when gambling companies advertise. The Group hopes that the campaign will reach close to 10 million people across TV, radio, newspapers, and online.