Click Bet

Produced by

Magnéto Presse

Production year2023

Programme formatOne-off

Genres

Documentary

Runtime

90m

Synopsis

Online gambling platforms target the vulnerable, turning them into addicts, and ruining entire families. Sports betting platforms are perfectly legal. The authorities let them get away with the damage that they cause, perhaps because they earn so much from these giant companies.

The market for sports betting has boomed since the pandemic, even though the major sports events were all cancelled. Locked down, bored and inactive, many people got caught up in gambling.

There is often a first free bet. Then the algorithm takes over. It ensures that the gambler rapidly amasses small wins for as long as it takes to get him hooked. Then, when he is ensnared, the losses begin. He will continually chase the emotion of his first successes, taking out loans, borrowing, until he is drawn into a cycle of despair.
The platforms boast that they have only reached 10 % of their potential for expansion, revealing how much more misery might be in store for vulnerable people.

Gambling addiction has become an emergency, a key public health issue around the world. But governments seem powerless against it. They are no match for the compelling adverts featuring sports stars which proliferate on every screen and billboard. The adverts promise excitement, and easy money.

Our investigation reveals the ugly truth behind this predatory industry.