ADVERTISING AND MARKETING
concerning the use, the regulation and enforcement of rules against influencer marketing in gaming and gambling. France was one of the quickest out of the blocks with legislation, passed in 2023, threatening a two-year prison sentence and €300K fine for the creation of promotional content for online gambling. That law prohibits influencers from creating paid content promoting cosmetic surgery, online sports betting sites, professional training courses, and online gambling. The legislation also requires influencers to label all paid content and disclose any filters used on promotional photos. Germany and most recently, Netherlands have followed similar approaches and there are signs the UK is preparing to do the same. Most recently, in October 2025, the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) announced a commitment to establishing new guidelines for ethical influencer marketing in the European gambling sector. 4 Just a few days later, GambleAware, the soon to be disbanded, UK charity, called for a ban on influencer marketing in gambling claiming “current regulations for marketing gambling online are not fit for purpose”. 5 These reactions are a sure sign that awareness of influencer marketing is growing, but are the regulatory steps being taken or considered likely to achieve the desired outcome? More likely, some argue, influencer marketing will be another area where the regulated market is placed at a disadvantage to the unregulated one and consumers will be the losers. The influencers and the influenced It is important first to distinguish between influencers and celebrities. In his 2023 article for IMGL, Luís Carvalho argued: “The[celebrity] faces of the big luxury brands may be rewarded through their social media activities, but this is different
from those who have achieved influence through their social media content and channels. They are followed for the value and authority of their content rather than for who they are. Streamers are “humans like us” fostering a sense of proximity with the viewers and making their influence much stronger. They are the beneficiaries of the democratization of content generation and provision. This contrasts with celebrities whose “god-like” appearances are deployed by brands.” 6 It is important to understand that influencers in the gambling space, as with many other niches, are those who genuinely love playing the games they’re promoting. It is this authenticity that makes them relatable and gives them the influence they have. As well as being avid players, these individuals are also good at finding ways to maximise rewards, either in terms of entertainment or monetary value. They are also technically sophisticated. We will explore why these factors are important later on. Influencers’ original ambitions may not have been financial: many will have started playing the games they love, sharing content of themselves doing so and building up a following of likeminded people who see value in the content they create. Once attracted, their audience is carefully nurtured and fed with content that generates the most interest. At this point influencers may become influencer marketers and start to monetise the audience and influence they have. Monetisation may come from advertising and affiliate revenue, but for the most successful, there are significant rewards to be gained from sponsorship deals. Whilst no one is calling influencers victims, they are self-employed entrepreneurs and will only continue to generate income whilst their channel is successful. They are thus highly motivated to keep doing what they’re doing and will often demonstrate considerable ingenuity if attempted barriers are put in their way.
4 https://www.egba.eu/news-post/egba-launches-pledge-on-responsible-influencer-marketing 5 https://www.gambleaware.org/media/0xrns0z4/online-gambling-marketing-policy-paper.pdf 6 https://www.imgl.org/publications/imgl-magazine-volume-3-no-1/influencer-marketing-in-gambling-and-gaming
IMGL MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2025
PAGE 27
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker