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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Jon Ungoed-Thomas

UK children bombarded by gambling ads and images online, charity warns

Cartoon imagery used in an online slot machine game run by 32Red.
Cartoon imagery used in an online slot machine game run by 32Red. Photograph: Screengrab

Children are “saturated” with betting promotions and gambling-like content while using the internet, despite restrictions on ad campaigns targeting young people, new research reveals.

GambleAware, the charity funded by donations from gambling firms, commissioned research that found the risks of online gambling were not understood by children because of the “blurred line” between betting ads and popular online casino-style games. It warns gambling ads with cartoon graphics are likely to be strongly appealing to children. Last week, one gambling firm was promoting a new online slots game on social media with three cartoon frogs, urging people to “take a dip” with the “ribbiting rascals”.

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