Results from a UK study and reports from Kazakhstan have magnified the growing issues with influencer marketing in the gambling market. 

The combination of a high volume of gambling ads coupled with social media influencers’ content reaching younger audiences has led to growing concerns of younger people and gambling concerns. 

Examples from these two different markets are more evidence of the growing issue – and both countries want to find a way to take significant action. 

Kazakhstan ready to take action 

Kazakhstan has become another example of a country looking to combat gambling influencers. It is hardly alone in this regard.

The likes of Brazil, the Netherlands, Belgium and Finland are some of the countries which have taken action against influencers promoting gambling in some form or another, and the distrust is growing across the world market. 

The latest news from Kazakhstan is that it has identified social media influencers and intends to move forward with criminalising this type of advertisement. 

Kazakhstan’s Financial Monitoring Agency (FMA) has reportedly flagged 34 bloggers for promoting online casinos on social media, with 11 already hit with administrative penalties in the first half of this year alone. 

The agency noted that fines have failed to curb repeat violations and such promotions far exceed the cost of the fines, creating incentives for repeated violations.

GambleAware’s results paint a worrying picture

In the UK, GambleAware latest study results analysed the impact of influencers in gambling marketing on young people – and the results were damning.

It called for urgent action from the government after revealing the negative impact of such advertisements which has contributed to the normalisation of the industry. 

Social media has been cited as a key enabler, with the likes of TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Twitch and Kick pushing the content to the younger audience, and the key figures were alarming. 

For example, one finding was that 87% of children and young people who took part in a survey said they have been exposed to gambling content online. 

Interestingly, more than one in six (16%) had seen content creators advertise gambling. These online personalities clearly play a role, though this sits alongside the sheer volume of gambling ads seen online in general. 

One standout figure was that 25% of children and young people said they have been tempted to spend money gambling after seeing a celebrity gambling or advertising gambling, which some regulators, politicians and harm prevention specialists see as evidence of a potential ticking time-bomb if there is no clear intervention.