Gambling companies have been branded “irresponsible” after a major study found they are not doing enough to stop children seeing their adverts online, particularly on Twitter.
The research, led by Ipsos Mori, found that an estimated 41,000 children under 16 follow gambling-related accounts, while children replied to or retweeted those accounts 13,000 times.
It also showed that betting firms increased their spending on paid advertising spots by 24% between 2015 and 2018 to £329m per year.
While children were not being directly targeted, the report said some of the ads included features likely to appeal to them, while little was being done to screen them out of gambling ads.
The study comes several months after figures emerged suggesting a rise in numbers of child problem gamblers, reaching 50,000, prompting allegations of a “generational scandal”.
Some of the UK’s leading bookmakers and online casino firms have since promised to invest more in addiction treatment and to curb adverts on TV.
But the research highlighted the prevalence of gambling adverts on the internet, particularly social media sites such as Twitter.
The researchers created 11 “avatars”, fake internet user profiles with identities such as “problem gambler” or a “child under 13”, based on browsing history.
The “child under 13” avatar saw more online gambling adverts per month than the adult with a gambling problem. Both saw more than a neutral avatar with no browsing history.
The report said there was “no evidence” that advertisers had taken significant steps to screen out children and gambling addicts, such as by analysing their browsing history.
Researchers also said there was “little evidence” of responsible gambling messages being promoted online, particularly on Twitter. Of 888,745 tweets analysed over nine months in 2018, 7% contained a responsible gambling message.
Adverts on TV and online also contained features likely to appeal to children such as celebrities or cartoon-like characters, particularly in adverts for eSports.
“Content which may appeal to children and young people was found in 11% of mainstream media gambling adverts and 59% of eSports gambling content on Twitter,” the report said.
Tom Watson, the Labour deputy leader, said: “It’s no wonder we have so many children gambling when irresponsible gambling companies are placing adverts that appeal to kids.
“The explosion of gambling advertising in recent years is fuelling problem gambling. If we are going to tackle addiction we need to start by tackling adverts.”
The interim report is part of a longer study commissioned by a leading gambling charity in the UK, GambleAware. The final report will chart the impact that gambling ads are having on children.
During the study, researchers interviewed young people and problem gamblers about their exposure to adverts.
One person aged between 16 and 17 said: “You are always going to know the Ladbrokes. It’s like McDonalds, it is always there.”
Analysis of live sports on television found that gambling companies adverts are particularly prominent during football matches.
During one game between Scottish teams Rangers and Celtic, there were 920 occasions on which gambling brands were visible, one every 10 seconds.