A Positive Spin on Ethical Marketing in The Gambling Industry

Playing, or as most people call it, gambling, has probably been around as long as humans have. Researchers think gambling started around 3000 B.C. In areas where the Mesopotamians lived, they found dice made of bone and ivory. The ancient Romans knew that gambling could become addictive and ruin lives. The Roman historian Tacitus (around 58-120 A.D.) noticed that the Teutons took gambling very seriously. He wrote, "Strangely enough, the game of dice is a serious business, with such blind passion, when it comes to winning or losing, that after they have lost their belongings, they play with the last decisive throw for their freedom and their person."

Even today, people all over the world gamble like there's no tomorrow. Just in 2013, Germans lost 14.8 billion US dollars to gambling and ranked 7th. But the Americans were the biggest losers, gambling away a whopping 118 billion dollars.

So, how does all this info tie into our work? Now that we've talked about gambling, marketing, and ethics, we want to show that something harmful can be turned into something good.

Take BWin, for example. It’s an online betting platform founded in Austria in 1997 and now part of GVC Holdings, based in the Isle of Man.

If you look at the next graphic, you'll see that gambling is a big business.

Companies like these are on the stock exchange, often viewed with suspicion, and can't totally shake off their bad image.

This might be because betting on football games or other sports still seems shady to some people. But betting on a horse race at Ascot, for example, is seen as more acceptable. It's funny how, even at these prestigious places, some dads gamble away their kids' lunch money, but in that setting, no one seems to mind.

The main thing is, you look good doing it, right?

Getting into professional sports is tough. Lots of young people dream of being the next Ronaldo. Big cities have programs and clubs with academies to train future stars. These spots are highly sought after. Running these academies is expensive and doesn't make much money. So, often, they have to turn away talented kids because they just don't have enough spots. Many youth talent programs are always short on funds, so we've been thinking about how to fix this long-term. We think our idea could also boost the value and acceptance of a company like BWin because we'd be turning losers into winners, sort of.

If you check out BWin's homepage, you'll see you can bet on many different sports. That also means lots of ways to lose your money.

Let's say Mr. X bets on a football match. He puts down 100 euros. The teams are Manchester United and an underdog, FC MCI. The odds are 2:100, meaning if the underdog wins, Mr. X would win 100 times his bet. But, let's face it, the English team will probably win, so Mr. X loses his 100 euros. And losing money doesn't feel great.

This is where our idea comes in. BWin just took Mr. X's 100 euros. What if they took 1% of that, just 1 euro, and gave it to a youth talent program? Suddenly, there's a silver lining.

Mr. X might feel a bit better knowing his loss is helping someone else. And more young talents could get a chance to chase their dreams of becoming pro athletes.

1% might not sound like much at first. But if you look at the graph on the first page, you’ll see that in the case of the Americans, it adds up to a huge amount. If all betting companies did this, in 2013 alone, they'd have raised 1.119 billion US dollars for youth talent programs. That's over 3 million US dollars a day.

That kind of money could make a big difference. Plus, companies could write off these donations on their taxes, saving themselves some money too.

And don't forget about the image boost. Big betting companies doing this would get great PR and could use the saved ad money for more good causes.

In conclusion, while gambling has a long history and some serious downsides, there's a chance to change its image. By adding ethical practices like donating a percentage of losses to youth sports academies, companies like BWin can make a positive impact. This idea not only helps fund talent development programs but also boosts the social responsibility of betting platforms. Adopting these practices could change how people see the gambling industry, making it more responsible and beneficial to society.