How to make online gambling more attractive among younger people
This seems to be the objective set by the SELAE, the State Lottery and Betting Company of the State for 2022, thus contravening everything that Minister Alberto Garzón has arranged through the Ministry of Consumption and the DGOJ. If since the Royal Decree on gambling advertising and the next Royal Decree on Responsible Gambling the Consumer minister reaffirmed his commitment to combat the negative effects of gambling among the most vulnerable population, the SELAE wants to go against the current and chooses to develop commercial strategies that bring gambling closer to the youngest.
In a report by the State Lottery and Betting Society of the State, the public gambling institution made public the beginning of the bidding process for commercial activity with an eye on the less developed segments: the youngest and those over 65 years of age. ©c1n3ma/Pixabaz
SELAE: promote commercial activity and attract the youngest
The SELAE has published a "explanatory report” with the aim of starting the bidding process for a new contract promotion of the games under its administration, lotteries and betting, in which the publicly owned operator has defined a somewhat surprising strategy for 2022.
According to the text you have been able to access Casinos-Online.es , the SELAE would have set itself the following business objective: 1) to recover during the next two financial years the collection that has been lost in the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic; 2) expand the client base by focusing the promotional commercial activity towards those less developed sectors by activity: the segment of clients between 18 and 24 years old, and those over 65.
For this purpose, a service contract has been awarded with the aim of providing a comprehensive creative service, communication and advertising for sports and horse betting : Quiniela, Elige8, Quinigol, Lototurf and Quintuple Plus. Meanwhile, we have learned that the company awarded the service contract has been NO LINE WORLDWIDE SL.
In addition, the SELAE would have published an attached document with technical prescriptions that would serve as a tool for the effective deployment of advertising campaigns to be developed by the contracting entity. In this document the SELAE puts the emphasis on the segment of players over 20 years old and it makes a very significant comparison with sports betting.
According to the SELAE, although the penetration referred to the percentage of the elderly population that plays the Pool and bets is very similar (4.5 and 4.0, respectively), the amounts played are higher in the case of sports betting which, in addition, has a more loyal customer base. This would be the trend that the SELAE would like to reverse.
To this end, the award of services must be able to achieve the objectives proposed by the SELAE :
- attracting young consumers over the age of 20
- turning casual players into regulars
- emphasize the amount of prizes and jackpots
- highlight the support of the SELAE to sport
- appeal to tradition.
The SELAE sees in Elige8 a game of great potential . The game associated with the traditional Pool consists of choosing 8 results from the predictions of the Pool: 15 in total. Not very well known yet, Elige8 is according to the SELAE a game suitable for the youngest who can thus opt for the parties they trust the most.
Indignation and contradictions from the industry and the affected sectors
From some sectors of the gaming industry there has been a shout in the sky after the publication of the SELAE report. The business proposal would be in frank contradiction with the speech that has characterized Alberto Garzón since his arrival at the Ministry of Consumption. The fundamental issue is that the SELAE would be allowing itself to invest a million in advertising and marketing strategies while the sector is languishing due to the restrictions imposed by Royal Decree 958/2020. The decrease in advertising expenses of the online gaming industry it has been very significant during the third quarter of 2021.
In addition, it does not seem very coherent that from a state entity it is seeking to retain the participation in the game of the youngest players , which does not at all agree with Garzón's position at the Consumer front. The controversy is served.
Now, it would be up to Garzón to justify this turn of the SELAE that wants to focus its market on the youngest .
So what about the game?
As follows from the latest report "Myths and Realities of the Gaming Sector” published by la patronal CeJuego , the game is fully integrated into Spanish society as a leisure and entertainment activity . Nor is it played as much as it seems, it is even played less now than in the previous decade. In addition, gambling is regulated and there is no collusion between gambling operators to attract minors or locate premises near schools or in the slums .
So, is gambling as dangerous as it is claimed from some sectors of Spanish society? Is the legislation on responsible gambling sponsored by Garzón a smokescreen?
But the industry falls into its own contradictions because if, as it is claimed, that the game is problematic is a myth, what is the problem then with the game? What is the problem if the SELAE wants to have a greater penetration in the age group that least plays football and equestrian pools?
There is one aspect that is usually left out. The debate is caused by the perception that from the Garzón ministry the public game would be favored over the private one. One would be good game, the other bad game. But there is a fundamental difference between state and private betting . In essence the game is the same, yes. What happens with the collection, with the profits after distributing the prizes is, however, very different.
