‘Odds Are: They Win’: a disruptive messaging innovation for challenging harmful products and practices of the gambling industry

Abstract

ObjectiveThis paper presents an evidence informed rationale for focussing on harmful gambling products and industry practices in public health messaging through the example of a recent innovation called ‘Odds Are: They Win’. Methods‘Odds Are: They Win’ was initially developed through coproduction involving public health professionals and people with lived experience of gambling harms and implemented across a city-region area. A review of relevant evidence was undertaken, upon which the research team reflected to draw out the implications of ‘Odds Are: They Win’ for gambling harms messaging. ResultsEvidence is mounting that safer gambling campaigns framed in terms of individual responsibility are ineffective and can generate stigma. ‘Odds Are: They Win’ presents an alternative focus that is not anti-gambling but raises awareness of industry manipulation of the situational and structural context of gambling. This is in-keeping with historical lessons from the stop smoking field and emerging research in critical health literacy. The latter highlights the potential of education on the social and commercial determinants of health to stimulate behaviour change and collective action. Conclusion‘Odds Are: They Win’ is a potentially disruptive innovation for the gambling harms field. Research is required to robustly evaluate this intervention across diverse criteria, target audiences, and delivery settings.