Recommendation on Gambling Advertising during the Corona Pandemic

Abstract

Theoretical background: Gambling advertising appears to be inherently conflicting with the particularly important goals of addiction prevention and effective protection against the dangers of addiction. Accordingly, there is a fundamental necessity to limit advertising for gambling products to an absolute minimum for reasons of youth and gambler protection. Current situation: The various protective provisions in connection with COVID-19, in conjunction with processes of social isolation, are likely to lead to significant psychosocial and financial burdens for a significant proportion of the population. Possible consequences: Therefore, it seems plausible that gambling participation via the Internet at home is becoming more popular. Against this background, the increasing advertising for online casino providers that can currently be observed in Germany must be strongly criticized from an experts' perspective. This development contradicts the efforts of other European countries, which range from a temporary complete ban on gambling to considerable advertising restrictions. Conclusions: As a result, we demand to suspend all forms of advertising for online gambling during the Corona crisis and, in perspective, to reconsider the fundamentally liberal attitude to gambling advertising under the State Treaty on Gambling.