{"id":167927,"date":"2023-10-03T14:18:38","date_gmt":"2023-10-03T14:18:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/culture.org\/?p=167927"},"modified":"2023-10-30T04:54:02","modified_gmt":"2023-10-30T04:54:02","slug":"gambling-companies-under-fire-for-alleged-big-tobacco-tactics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/culture.org\/gambling\/gambling-companies-under-fire-for-alleged-big-tobacco-tactics\/","title":{"rendered":"Gambling Companies under fire for Alleged Big Tobacco Tactics"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Public health experts warn of gambling firms adopting big tobacco\u2019s tactics to weaken regulations, spotlighting the urgent need for stricter government oversight.<\/span><\/p>\n <!-- <script type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n jQuery(document).ready(function() {\r\n jQuery(\".key-accordion-item .key-menu\").on(\"click\", function() {\r\n if (jQuery(this).parent().hasClass(\"active\")) {\r\n jQuery(this).next().slideUp();\r\n jQuery(this).parent().removeClass(\"active\");\r\n } else {\r\n jQuery(\".key-content\").slideUp();\r\n jQuery(\".key-accordion-item\").removeClass(\"active\");\r\n jQuery(this).parent().addClass(\"active\");\r\n jQuery(this).next().slideDown();\r\n }\r\n });\r\n })\r\n <\/script> -->\r\n\r\n\r\n <!-- start html -->\r\n\r\n <div class=\"news-key-takeaway-wapper\">\r\n <span style=\"background-color:#39b54a;\">Key Takeaways<\/span>\r\n <ul class=\"news-key-nbox\" style=\"border-color:#39b54a;background-color:rgba(57, 181, 74, 0.1);\">\r\n <li>Public health experts accuse gambling companies of using tactics similar to big tobacco to push for lighter regulations and fund research to mitigate the harms they cause.<\/li>\r\n <li>The commercial gambling industry's influence has raised significant concerns about public health and the social consequences of gambling.<\/li>\r\n <li>Critics argue that the industry\u2019s tactics and lobbying efforts mirror those used by the tobacco and alcohol sectors, causing a call for similar regulatory measures.<\/li>\r\n <\/ul>\r\n <\/div>\r\n \n<h2><b>Public Concerns Over Gambling Firms’ Tactics<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/culture.org\/gambling\/sites\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gambling<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> firms are facing severe criticism as a group of public health experts accuses them of adopting strategies similar to those of big tobacco companies to weaken regulations. These experts are raising concerns, insisting that governments should handle betting firms in a manner similar to how they manage the tobacco industry.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Experts Highlight Parallels Between Gambling and Tobacco Industries<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">12 distinguished experts in public health have collaborated on an editorial, articulating their concerns and insights regarding the similarities between the maneuverings of gambling firms and those of large tobacco companies. Published in the acclaimed journal Health Promotion International, the editorial accentuates the urgent need for governments to scrutinize and handle wagering companies with a comparable approach to the tobacco industry due to the escalating concerns related to the harmful impacts of gambling.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The editorial noted, \u201cThe commercial gambling industry operates from a similar playbook to other health-harming industries, such as tobacco and alcohol.\u201d The industry\u2019s alleged strategies include sidestepping and postponing regulations, contriving innovative products, and creating allure for newer markets, while also purportedly playing a pivotal role in molding research and knowledge production.<\/span><\/p>\n <!-- <div class=\"container-c\"> -->\r\n <!-- <div class=\"row justify-content-between\"> -->\r\n <!-- <div class=\"col-post-800\"> -->\r\n <!-- start html -->\r\n <div class=\"blockquote-wapper\">\r\n <div>\r\n <span class=\"text_quot\">\r\n <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Public health experts warn of gambling firms adopting big tobacco\u2019s tactics to weaken regulations, spotlighting the urgent need for stricter government oversight.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>\r\n\r\n <div class=\"quot_icon\">\r\n <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-content\/themes\/culture\/icons\/i_quot.svg\" type=\"image\/svg+xml\">\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"quot_tick\" src=\"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-content\/themes\/culture\/icons\/i_quot_tri.svg\" type=\"image\/svg+xml\">\r\n <\/div>\r\n <!-- end html -->\r\n <!-- <\/div> -->\r\n <!-- <\/div> -->\r\n <!-- <\/div> -->\r\n \n<h2><b>Rising Concerns Over Gambling\u2019s Societal and Health Impacts<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Prominent academics from various regions including <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Australia<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">United Kingdom<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and Africa highlighted substantial evidence depicting the adverse health and societal impacts of gambling, affecting not only individual gamblers but also their families and communities at large.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A recent study startling data, revealing that gambling addiction contributed to 184 suicides within eight years, predominantly involving males aged between 17 and 44.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Australia alone has approximately 1.3 million individuals grappling with the repercussions of gambling, witnessing a plethora of consequences ranging from financial predicaments and relational disintegrations to severe legal complications and a myriad of health issues.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Industry\u2019s Attempts to Influence Policies and Public Opinion<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a controversial move, Sportsbet and Entain Australia, two of the country\u2019s leading sports gambling companies, have financially backed the establishment of a new gambling research centre at the University of Sydney. This development has garnered widespread criticism from various sectors including the Australian Medical Association and multiple MPs, labeling the funding arrangement as inappropriate and demanding the return of the funds.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, the gambling companies involved refute the allegations, emphasizing their objective is not to generate favorable research. The University of Sydney too stands by the partnership, asserting that it will yield more pertinent research and clarified that bookmakers would not have any influence over the research outcomes.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Calls for Stricter Regulations<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dr. May van Schalkwyk, an honorary research fellow at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, resonates with this perspective. She advocates for a complete overhaul in the regulation of the gambling industry, emphasizing the need to safeguard science and public health policymaking from undue influence and protect the public from unnecessarily harmful products and practices.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As gambling companies continue to be criticized for their alleged manipulation of policies and regulations, it becomes increasingly crucial for governments and concerned bodies to reassess and strengthen the regulatory frameworks and focus on safeguarding public health and interests.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":10028,"featured_media":168370,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3585],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-167927","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gambling"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167927"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10028"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=167927"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167927\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/168370"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=167927"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=167927"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=167927"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}