Ex-England footballer David James teams up with GambleAware to stop 'Bet Regret'
David James, the ex-England goalkeeper and safer gambling ambassador, has teamed up with GambleAware to help football fans overcome boredom, so they don't resort to making impulsive bets.
David James
According to YouGov, over 25 million people in the UK support a Premier League or Championship club. However the international break this October can leave supporters bored, leading them to make impetuous gambles that end in 'Bet Regret'.
Earlier this season, a survey conducted by the Football Supports Federation (FSA) and GambleAware revealed that only 10% of football fans felt their club was doing enough to encourage safer gambling.
GambleAware and the FSA therefore collaborated on a 'Bet Regret' campaign, whereby the FSA will put out a series of 'Beat The Break Brain Busters' throughout the international break for fans to tackle.
To accompany the 'Bet Regret' launch, M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment has created an 'International Break' spot that sees James act as a football news presenter - however, there isn't actually any news.
Addressing the fact that it leads to boredom, James flicks through a number of bad hairstyle mistakes he has made because "when we're bored, we do things we regret."
As part of the campaign, supporting initiatives have been organised to help fans moderate their betting behaviours.
Gambling is a volatile area for sports to navigate, and we are currently in a period of intense change around how gambling companies market to people.
This year the government introduced a whistle-to-whistle TV ad ban on betting brands while the Advertising Standards Association has cracked the whip on content that might appeal to underage consumers.
Last week, Ladbrokes Coral appointed BBH to lead creative, following this increased regulation on how gambling businesses market to consumers.
Discussing the anti-gambling campaign, James said: “Supporting Safer Gambling within football is something that is important to me. There is so much exposure to betting and it is increasingly easy to bet impulsively, so I want to encourage football fans to think twice about how they are betting.
"Helping fans beat the break this October is only the start and I’m looking forward to working with GambleAware and the Football Supporters’ Association this season to raise awareness of Bet Regret.”
