Reaching Gamstop audiences when & where they need support

A disapproval-proof paid creative strategy to reach new audiences

Gamstop operates with a dedicated but small team to support people seeking to stop gambling.

The team engaged us to audit their paid media activity across Google and Meta. After delivering a comprehensive list of strategic recommendations, Gamstop then asked us to execute the rollout.

Gamstop is often misidentified as a gambling service, rather than a support service to block UK-licensed gambling platforms. This meant Gamstop's ads on specific platforms were frequently disapproved, harming reach significantly.

The team needed help to circumnavigate these platform automations to reach those in need of their support.

Tailored, engaging creative that resonates with online gamblers seeking support

We conducted a full review of the policies that were triggering automated disapprovals and made website content recommendations to counter this.

The revamp needed to consider more than awareness – we reviewed the structure and type of campaign on Meta to align with Gamstop’s goals.

We developed a tailored content strategy focused on how the tool works, the benefits of blocking online gambling, relatable scenarios and social proof. We also wanted to communicate how many people have already registered with Gamstop.

With this expanded creative inventory, we adopted a ‘test and learn’ approach to hone in on Gamstop users’ preferred messaging.

Always-on, hands-on campaigns

Applying our audit learnings and ensuring we removed risk of misidentification of Gamstop’s service was paramount.

To monitor success without Meta tracking – a conscious decision to protect user privacy – we turned our focus to in-platform metrics such as outbound click through rate, mindfully removing placements that would artificially inflate clicks within our traffic campaign.

Online gambling statistically affects younger males more than any other demographic, so we introduced value rules to prioritise this audience, while still leaving room for our other audiences to be shown our ads.

We moved away from short-term campaigns, designing a more permanent ‘alway-on’ structure that would provide better data insights and maximise approvals.

We regularly refreshed creatives, rather than constantly stopping and starting full campaigns.

Breaking down barriers to gambling support

So far, we’ve achieved…

• 7,000,000+ people reached on Meta
• Above average CTR on Meta Traffic campaign (2.45%)
• 38% reduction in cost per 1,000 people reached on Meta
• Almost 10 million impressions on Google Ads
• 1.38% CTR on display activity (average for this industry is 0.59%)
• 14.43% CTR on our search ads (industry average is 4.41%)
• Increase in calendar-year exclusion totals (20.4% in 2025 and a further 8.5%+ in 2026 to date)