Italy: public health survey casts doubt on effectiveness of government’s advertising ban

19.10.2018

Italy’s Istituto Superiore della Sanità (ISS) public health agency released, on 18 October, the results of a survey commissioned by Italy’s gambling regulator AAMS into the scope of the nation’s gambling activities, both on and offline. The survey questioned over 12,000 adults, making it the largest such study ever conducted in the country. Italy’s new government recently announced plans for a blanket prohibition on gambling advertising and sponsorships, with the stated aim to limit the further spread of problem gambling activity. But the ISS survey suggests this ban will likely fail to achieve its stated goals. The survey found that only 19.3% of Italians who actively gambled last year said they were inspired to play after seeing a gambling advert, while the other 80.7% said advertising had no effect whatsoever on their willingness to gamble.

The study can be found here (italian language).