What is marketing of gambling?

The marketing of gambling is broadly defined and covers all marketing activities that aim to promote demand for gambling services and to otherwise increase the visibility of gambling service providers and affect the image of gambling and gambling service providers.

Marketing includes advertising in traditional media channels such as radio, TV, outdoor and direct advertising as well as advertising on the internet, by email messages and on social media. This means marketing is not limited to any specific marketing method, medium or channel.

Marketing may also include:

• distributing various promotional items and brochures,
• providing pricelists and other product information,
• publishing a text written in the form of an article,
• promotional lotteries,
• product brochures and samples and
• various discounts or benefits directly related to gambling such as bonus offers and free games.

More information on the definition of marketing

Gambling can also be marketed through means of indirect advertising. For example, the use of a gambling company or gambling logo in advertising another product may constitute indirect advertising. The purpose of marketing is usually to promote gambling or a gambling company commercially in a way that aims to influence consumers' purchasing behaviour and image of the product or its seller.

A game’s nickname, image or recognisable background music may also convey images of the game or gambling company. Using the logo in conjunction with a different product is considered to be marketing even if the product and the gambling company or game have no obvious connection with each other. 

The product names of some gambling games also refer to the common name of the game. These include lotto, keno, poker and several table top games. If the name or type of game is used for other than marketing communications, it is generally not considered marketing of gambling.
Besides regular and indirect advertising, other forms of communication based on the creation of images may be considered as marketing. Whereas commercial communications are covered by the constitutional freedom of speech, they could be subject to more stringent limitations than would otherwise be possible within the core freedom of speech.