The second edition of the FAIR Foundation’s Responsible Gambling Observatory, carried out with Ipsos Doxa, is based on 1,000 online interviews with a representative sample of the Italian adult population and with opinion leaders from associations, regulatory authorities, public administration, the Catholic community and the communications sector. The 2026 edition focuses on communication and gathers early feedback on the new guidelines for campaigns against gambling disorders.
Eight in ten Italians (80%) consider communication to play a fundamental or important role in prevention. Campaign recall, however, has fallen: in 2026, 21% say they have seen at least one campaign in the past year, down from 29% in 2025. According to respondents, a message loses effectiveness when it refers to winnings and bonuses (36%), adopts a reassuring tone (36%) or presents gambling as an everyday habit (33%). It gains effectiveness when it describes at-risk behaviours (37%) and points to tools such as spending limits, breaks and self-exclusion (32%).
The overall approach of the guidelines is well received, particularly their preventive aims, the ban on incentivising elements and the attention paid to where campaigns are placed. Above all, respondents stress the importance of enforcement: checks on practices that could circumvent the bans, such as sponsorships and brand overexposure; penalties proportionate to the economic value of the campaigns in question; and an independent body to measure the effects of the rules over time.
For those designing campaigns, the research identifies the risk signals to highlight first – rising losses (56%), more frequent or larger bets (48%) and long or late-night sessions (44%) – as well as the audiences to reach with targeted messages, starting with minors and young people aged 18 to 24. Among the proposals put forward is a joint campaign by all licensed operators, signed by the regulator.
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