UK gambling watchdog Senet Group has launched a major social media campaign that targets young men and promotes responsible gambling. The hashtag used for the campaign is #gamblesmart and it will be seen everywhere in the next three weeks.

Some of the measures promoted in the campaign are avoiding gambling when angry, never betting more than you can afford to spend and setting spending limits. Senet Group saw using humorous content as the perfect way of getting people’s attention; the content will be shared online as well as printed on recognisable yellow and black posters.

Facebook users will get the chance to see real-life videos of how easily things can go wrong when the tips are not followed. Additionally, Twitter will be invaded with similar images, whereas the videos will also be shown on gaming machines across the UK. This innovative campaign was created by Livity, an award-winning marketing agency.

Senet Group Chief Executive, Ron Finlay, said that the campaign was “all about prevention.” He further explained that it was designed to be “funny and shareable,” but also to send a serious message about preventing gambling from becoming a problem.

Rosie Winterton, Doncaster Central MP who is very dedicated to prevention of problem gambling, expressed her delight of having 6,000 bookmaker shops around the country promoting “responsible gambling behaviour.” She pointed out that it was very important the industry to take seriously the need to protect vulnerable people.

The Senet Group is an independent body, which was founded in September 2014. This watchdog was created by Ladbrokes, William Hill, Paddy Power and Coral in response to public concerns on gambling advertising and gambling in general. The #gamblesmart project is the second Senet Group has launched this year. Several months earlier they were increasing awareness with the popular “When the Fun Stops, Stop” campaign.