The problem of Online Gambling is inherently linked with the overall problem of gambling

in the United Kingdom. BusinessDictionary.com describes gambling as “Betting (wagering)

that must result either in a gain or a loss. Gambling is neither risk taking in the sense of
speculation (assumption of substantial short-term risk) nor investing (acquiring property or
assets for securing long-term capital gains). It also differs from insurance which may reduce
or eliminate the risk of loss but offers no legitimate chance of gain” (BusDict 2010). Social
Marketing is defined as the use of marketing knowledge, theories and concepts to raise
awareness about social issues (Kotler, P. Roberto, N. Lee, N 2002) and “influence target
audience behaviours that benefit society (public health, safety, the environment and
communities) as well as the target audience” (SMQ 2010) The objectives of this essay
include evaluating the context of the problem of online gambling, link social marketing
psychology to the reality of the problem, critically analyse the current debates surrounding
the problem, and finally to make recommendations to improve previous campaigns and to
cultivate a new social marketing plan.

In this essay, where online gambling is mentioned, it refers to any form of gambling which
takes place on the internet, while Offline gambling refers to any form of ‘traditional’
gambling, such as casinos, bookmakers and other such methods.

According to Mintel (2009), 2.8million Britons gamble online every year, with an average
weekly spend of £10 per person. In a Mintel survey, 24% of those surveyed said they
gambled online, equating to 6.1million internet users in the United Kingdom who either
regularly or occasionally gamble online (Mintel 2008). Within this group, the age group is
young professional adults, aged 20-34, with 13% of 20-24 year olds regular bettors – those
who bet most weeks, more than double the percentage of any other age group, and 19% of
25-34 year olds classifying themselves as occasional bettors – betting at least once a year
(Mintel 2008). Mintel (2009) gives figures that show 54% of people who gamble in the
United Kingdom do so for monetary gain, not any social benefits, while 24% of people only
started to gamble when it became available online.

One of the most integral theories in Social Marketing is Prochaska and Di Clemente’s (1982)
transtheoretical model (Appendix 1). In theory, this model represents a person’s behaviour
change, moving from a state of unawareness about a need to change a behaviour, into
realising the need for change, changing, solidifying the change, and then finally the
“termination stage” (Prochaska, 1997). It gives the idea that behaviour change is achieved
through a process, and not by simply flicking a switch (Hastings 2007). There are many
critiques of this theory, and in practice, nobody’s behaviour change will play out exactly the
way it is hoped in practice. People will relapse while going through a behaviour change. A
second major problem with gambling is that it is not seen as a problem, and is not only
accepted in some countries, but seen as a national pastime (Raylu 2004). This alerts us to the
problem of people thinking that gambling is not a problem. Whilst in a state of pre
contemplation, or unawareness, it would be impossible to move through the change model, or
indeed to try and initiate behaviour change through any method. Academics have mentioned
that a stage based progression doesn’t always lead to behaviour change, and that it is
motivation and intention which lead to more effective behaviour change (Brug 2004).

Social Norms are often overlooked when dealing with behavioural change, as peer pressure
and normative beliefs often dictates what choices we make in life. (Kiuru 2010) Social
Norms are the unwritten rules of our society and have the purpose of pushing people to
favour a better collective outcome than simply always doing things for their own egotistical
benefit (Biel Eek Garling 1999). Gambling offline is often seen as a social activity,
something which people do with their friends, or something they do to make friends. But
since problem gambling has become a recognized problem (Raylu 2004), there needs to be a
change in these norms to effectively facilitate these problem gamblers behavioural changes.
With online gambling, as well as offline gambling, the social element tends to be less of an
issue, as mentioned earlier 54% of people say the gamble for the monetary gain (Mintel
2009). This would suggest that perhaps social norms do not play as big a part, but pushes
more towards normative beliefs.

Normative beliefs are what we see as normal behaviour in our day to day lives (Ajzen
Fishbein 1972). They are mainly influenced by our interpersonal relationships, and how we
feel our peers would react to different behaviours. Normative Beliefs are different to Social
Norms in that while social norms focus more on how we behave, while normative beliefs are
more focused on what a single person believes other people close to them think they should
act. Because Normative Beliefs are more personal, they are something an Online Gambling
campaign should focus on.

Fishbien and Ajzen’s theory of reasoned action (1975) (Appendix 2) takes into account
different motivations and beliefs in the “purchase” of a social product. It reasons that
personal beliefs and attitudes, as well as normative beliefs and subjective norms are
extremely important in the transaction. Compared to the Transtheoretical theory, which is
very linear and doesn’t take these things into account, it offers a more realistic model.
However it still doesn’t offer the flexibility needed in a behavioural change model, in terms
of relapse and moving back and forth from different stages. This model could be used as a
base for a social marketing campaign on online gambling, as it would involve changing
beliefs as to the dangers of problem gambling and pushing people to make the change.

Self-efficacy is someone’s belief in themselves that they can make a behavioural change
(Bandura 2004). This belief is essential in the context of overcoming and Online Gambling
addiction, or indeed any addiction. Without Self Efficacy, someone who was a problem
online gambler wouldn’t have the motivation or the belief that they could change their
behaviour. A campaign on raising awareness on problem gambling would need to address
this issue, as in any process, people need the confidence – or self-efficacy, to move through
it.

Positioning the social proposition is an important aspect in designing a social marketing

campaign. Positioning is not about how you develop the proposition, but instead about how
you position it in your consumers mind (Ries Trout 1982). The problem of online gambling,
which is not seen as a problem by many, needs careful positioning to make the best impact.
The benefits of non-behaviour, the disadvantages of the behaviour and eliminating the
barriers towards behaviour change are all ideas which need to be confronted by the
positioning. Online gambling needs to be seen as a problem, and working to position the idea
of it as a problem can be done, by focusing on both the benefits of not doing it, and the
negatives of continuing with it.

In the United Kingdom, very little has been done to help with eliminating or even raising
awareness of the problem of online gambling. In 2005 the way gambling is legislated was
changed, moving away from multiple regulatory body’s to a single entity – The Gambling
Commission. For the first time, online gambling was include in the updated law, and the
gambling commission now has powers over the sector (GBGC 2010). Gamblers Anonymous
in the UK does have a website, but is not widely known. Having a resource like this would
greatly improve any social marketing campaign, as it is an already functioning resource
which can be integrated easily. Also linked to Gamblers Anonymous is Gamcare, which is
one of the leading providers of advice, help and information on problem gambling, and is
linked to the gambling commission. In spite of this, it is not very well known, and again
would be a valuable resource in any campaign. Other countries, such as the USA and
Singapore have the National Council for Problem Gambling, and in both countries the
council runs advertising campaigns to raise awareness. Although some advertising campaigns
have been seen, nothing on the level of campaigns such as drink driving or smoking has been
accomplished, and this is needed for the future.

The social marketing mix (Wood 2008) is based on the marketing mix and the 4p’s – product,
price, place and promotion. When applying it social marketing, the place is dismissed in
place of Distribution, as social marketers are looking to distribute intangible information,
rather than sell a tangible product. Peatty and Peatty (2003) also suggested a change to the
‘product’, instead selling a ‘social proposition’, signifying the change between marketing and
social marketing, and also the difference between the tangible product that a marketer may
sell, and the intangible proposition that social marketing tries to bring across. Using the social
marketing mix to raise awareness of problem gambling would be the underpinning of any
campaign.

For the recommendation, a new social marketing campaign will be created using the social
marketing mix. In terms of the social proposition, raising awareness is the most important
thing for the problem of online gambling, as not very many people think of gambling as a
problem. It would be essential to push the idea of the cessation of online gambling for current
gamblers, and also to stop people who may be tempted to gamble in the future (Hastings
2007). The price in social marketing terms is different to commercial marketing, as it doesn’t
have a monetary value. It involves asking someone for their time and effort, and thus they
will only do this if they perceive it to be worth it for them – the positives of the behaviour
change must outweigh the negatives in the consumer’s eyes.

For the distribution methods, for online gambling an online approach could work best, as it is
tapping in to a medium which the target audience is already familiar and comfortable with.
The intermediaries are also an important factor, and for this targeting their normative beliefs
will be important. Using friends, family and other peers to help distribute the message will
push the gambler to another way of thinking about their behaviour, as if they believe their
family or friends doesn’t agree with their behaviour, then they will reconsider their
behaviour. For the promotion of the social proposition, the campaign needs to be unique and
grab the target audience’s attention. For this, instead of using a scary/downbeat campaign
such as many Social Marketing campaigns in the United Kingdom – an example would be the
20’s Plenty speeding advert, using a humorous campaign would grab more people’s attention
and get the message across in a more meaningful way. (Appendix 3)

Social marketing is one of the most important academic areas for the health and social future
of the future generation. It can be used to both stop future behaviours, and get people to stop
unhealthy lifestyle choices. There has been a lot of writing on the subject, but it is still a
developing subject, where theories are still in progress and there is little agreement on what
motivates people to change, as shown with a number of different theories. Online gambling is
a perfect behaviour for social marketers to look at, as it is an intangible proposition and one
which is so deeply entrenched in some countries culture.
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Appendices
Appendix 1 – Prochaska and Di Clemente’s Transtheoretical Model
Pre Contemplation – The stage where the person is unaware of the need to change, or doesn’t see
the point in change

Contemplation – The person is aware of the need to change

Preperation – The person is preparing to make the behaviour change

Action – The person has actively made the decisions to make the change, and has changed

Maintenance – The person has changed, and is actively trying not relapse

Relapse – The person has returned to the previous behaviour, and to a previous stage – usually pre
contemplation or contemplation

(Kotler, Roberto, Lee 2002)

Appendix 2 – Azjen and Fishbein’s theory of reasoned action

The theory of reasoned action is based around what peoples motivations and reasons for their
behaviour are. It looks at:

Personal Beliefs: What the person believes in, what they think is right and wrong – if someone
believes something is inherently wrong, they will not do it.

Personal Attitudes: Their attitudes towards certain things, what they find funny, offensive, or
negative or positive.

Normative Beliefs: How they believe someone close to them will react if they seek to change their
behaviour.

Social/Subjective Norms: How they believe they should react in social situations and how the react
to social pressures.

Personal Interests: What the person is interested in, from what they do in their social life.

Purchase: When the person buys into an idea, and takes an idea from the idea, to action stage.