The World Cup is in full swing. With more matches than ever before and a projected US$13bn in revenue, this tournament is set to be the most commercially significant in history, driving a predictable increase in gambling activity.
Matches running from early evening into late night in the UK extend the window to bet, while new broadcasting arrangements enable licensed operators to livestream matches within their applications. This continuous, and likely solitary, in-play betting environment, heightens the risk of immediate financial and emotional distress against the backdrop of an aggressive, well-funded advertising landscape.
The gambling industry in Great Britain retains an estimated £16.8bn annually from customer losses, with online football betting alone accounting for over £1.3bn of that total. These figures represent wealth taken directly out of local households, impacting family stability, housing security and mental wellbeing.
Across north London, local authorities and health partners have come together to form a unified response to this challenge. The launch of the ‘Odds Are They Win' campaign brings together the public health teams of Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey and Islington. By joining forces with Mind in Haringey, Thrive LDN, CAN Digital, Progress Health Partnerships and the gambling charity, Chapter One, this coalition is co-ordinating resources to address the widespread impact of gambling harms during this summer of sport.
Gambling advertising typically uses messaging that focuses heavily on individual responsibility and controlled betting. The campaign disrupts that dominant industry narrative. By presenting clear, evidence-based insights into industry tactics, it reframes gambling harm as a predictable outcome of industry design rather than personal responsibility, building a more compassionate and informed response.
It is an approach that was successfully rolled out in Greater Manchester during the previous tournament. To ensure the campaign resonated for 2026 and aligned accurately with the realities of addiction and recovery, our messaging underwent testing by individuals with lived experience of gambling harm. This collaborative approach helped us dismantle the stigma that frequently prevents people from seeking help.
The paid digital campaign is live in 30 local authorities across London and England, with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities supporting delivery across Scotland. Many more councils are utilising the shared communications toolkit to promote the message organically.
As of Thursday 25 June, the campaign has shown early signs of success across all 30 participating local authorities, actively engaging with more than 2.1m individuals. This extensive digital visibility has driven a total of 81,097 direct clicks across Snapchat, Meta and Reddit channels through to bespoke, regional campaign landing pages. In a public health context, a click through to our dedicated website represents a deliberate, purposeful action by a user looking for help or information.
Looking at north London, the campaign has led to 11,358 direct clicks to our campaign landing page. Our total budget allocated for the campaign in north London is £10,000, with funding provided externally by the Gambling Research Exchange Ontario. Our collective digital advertising spend has so far amounted to £4,710, which equates to just over £940 for each of our five participating councils. Dividing this regional expenditure by our landing page visits results in an average cost-per-click of just 41 pence. This combined financial approach has allowed us to buy into a large-scale digital campaign, with half our budget available to sustain our online presence through the high-risk final weeks of the tournament.
Insights to date confirm our specific messaging themes are aligning accurately with identified tournament risk factors. The sharpest immediate engagement rates have so far been context-specific hooks on how the design of gambling products leads to losses and how late-night matches can increase the pressure to gamble alone. Also performing well, is the impact of gambling harms on relationships. At a time when mobile devices are flooded with betting promotions, this suggests that the messaging has a clear relevance.
Importantly, the campaign is providing timely and direct referral loops to support networks like the National Gambling Helpline and NHS gambling support services. This regional mobilisation ensures when a resident clicks on an ad during the tournament, they are routed immediately to an effective pathway to free, confidential assistance available to them both at a local and national level.
Beyond this campaign and across the public sector, many teams are delivering their own gambling support campaigns. It is fantastic to see, arguably for the first time, an aligned and concerted approach to gambling harms messaging.
The narrative of our campaign, and many others is clear: it's not your fault, you're not alone. Gambling harm can affect anyone and stigma stops many people seeking help.
Confidential support is available for anyone affected by gambling, including those impacted by the gambling of someone else. If you or someone you know is affected, call the 24/7 National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133.
