Just over a week before GambleAware’s 6th annual conference (the theme of which is “Reducing gambling-related harms: Diversity”), it has published new financial analysis by Regulus Partners estimating that gambling companies spend £1.2 billion marketing online, five times more than on television ads.

Of interest in relation to the ongoing advertising debate is the following breakdown of the areas in which gambling companies spent the most money on marketing in 2017:

• Direct online internet marketing costs – £747million, almost half (48%) of total gambling marketing spend
• Advertising through marketing ‘affiliates’ – websites, tipsters and publications who earn commission for generating new business for gambling companies – £301million, nearly one fifth (19%) of total expenditure
• TV gambling advertising – £234million, just 15% of total gambling marketing spend
• Social media – £149million, more than tripling over three years, and 10% of total gambling marketing spend
• Sponsorship – £60million, double the amount spent in 2014 (£30million).