Bet Regret
Also: Avoid Bet Regret · Tap Out
GambleAware's national safer gambling campaign (2019-2022) for young men who bet on sports, which named the 'sinking feeling' after a bet you wish you hadn't made as an early warning sign of harm and pushed a 'Tap Out' habit of pausing in the betting app before placing a bet, signposting BeGambleAware.org.
- Years
- 2019–2022
- Reach
- 148.3M impressions as reported“148.3M digital impressions and 155 TVRs.”
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Budget
- World Cup 2022 burst: media spend of around GBP 3.8 million, including GBP 1.8 million of donated inventory from broadcasters (GambleAware evaluation, May 2023).
- Topic
- Gambling
- Asks people to
- RecognizeStop
- Strategy
- CelebrityHumorService linkSimple instruction
- Channel
- OutdoorPrintSocial (paid)TVWebsite
- Audience
- MenYoung adultsMen aged 18-44 who bet on sports (PGSI 1+, C2DE in the 2022 burst); secondary audiences of women who bet on sports and people affected by someone else's gambling.
Evidence
Self-reportedUnknown
Sponsor-commissioned Ipsos tracking (pre/post online surveys, no control group). World Cup 2022 burst: 45% unprompted and 68% prompted recognition in the target audience; 71% found the ads credible; 148.3M digital impressions and 155 TVRs. GambleAware's four-year summary says the 'Tap Out' nudge encouraged self-moderation but impact was limited by low share of voice (around 8% against operators' advertising). An independent online experiment (Newall 2025, N=2,741) found a Bet Regret advert left gambling urges unchanged overall against a neutral control, with larger decreases among people at higher risk.
Sponsor (who paid)
- GambleAware NGO, creator and funder
Credits (who made it)
- M&C Saatchi Creative, 2022 source
- Goodstuff Media, 2022 source
- Freuds PR, 2022 source
- Ipsos UK Research evaluation, 2019-2023 source
Related campaigns
- Let's Open Up About Gambling 2023–2024
- When the Fun Stops, Stop 2015–2021
Sources
- World Cup Bet Regret campaign evaluation: key highlights report, November to December 2022 burst (GambleAware, May 2023) evaluation · 2023
- Bet Regret: summary of key learnings, insights from a four-year marketing strategy (GambleAware / Ipsos UK) evaluation
- Newall P, Weiss-Cohen L, Torrance J, Bart Y. Not always as advertised: Different effects from viewing safer gambling (harm prevention) adverts on gambling urges. Addict Behav 2025 evaluation · 2025 · DOI 10.1016/j.addbeh.2024.108161 · PMID 39260116
- Palmer M et al. When 'help' might hurt: Do gambling harm prevention advertisements reduce or contribute to gambling stigma? Public Health 2025 evaluation · 2025 · DOI 10.1016/j.puhe.2025.106010 · PMID 41151385
Research notes
Drafted by Claude (Claude Code) on 2026-10-28 for #130 from the sources listed; unreviewed, including the cardSummary. Dates: tracking began with a February 2019 launch; sources differ on whether the first funding period started in 2018 or 2019. The World Cup 2022 burst (14 Nov - 18 Dec 2022) was the final execution of a three-year strategy and featured former footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips; Peter Shilton fronted a PR film. Agencies listed are from the 2022 burst only; earlier creative agencies not checked. Recognition and spend figures are GambleAware's own and should be checked against the PDF before quoting. GambleAware has since wound down (its site describes its 'legacy'), so links may move. The Palmer 2025 stigma study tested five UK harm prevention adverts but which ads were included was not checked; it is listed for context.
Record cases/gb-gambleaware-bet-regret.json, updated 2026-10-28· Link to this campaign