The confectionery giant Mars has bowed to pressure to remove a product that dispenses M&M’s in the style of a slot-machine game, after MPs and an academic said it risked normalising gambling for children.
The product, on display in the M&M’s World store in London’s Leicester Square, works like a one-armed bandit gambling machine, where users pull on a lever to make three reels spin.
If the pictures on the reels match one another the machine, on sale for £33, spits out a large number of M&M’s.
In a letter to Mars sent on Thursday, members of a cross-party parliamentary group on problem gambling said: “We have heard countless harrowing stories of how gambling addictions have ruined lives and brought misery to the families and communities affected by this addiction.
“Therefore we were shocked when it was brought to our attention that M&M were selling a slot machine-style game, marketed at children, in their store in Leicester Square. The normalisation of gambling for children can have dangerous effects later on in life and we would like you to reconsider having such an item in your store.”
Mars initially shrugged off MPs’ concerns in a written response to the Guardian but reversed its position on Thursday afternoon.
A spokesperson said: “Whilst this product was neither designed to normalise gambling nor to appeal to children, we have listened to the concerns raised and have decided to remove it from our store.”
The product was spotted by Dr Samantha Thomas, a youth gambling expert and associate professor at Deakin University, Australia.
With all the discussion in the UK about gambling harm and the normalisation of gambling for kids, very surprised to see M&M selling this product in its Leicester Square store. @ArtScienceDoc @tom_watson @mattzarb @ByRobDavies @ProfRCassidy @carolynharris24 @NoRoomToLive pic.twitter.com/heioYTo5Ul
— Samantha Thomas (@Doc_Samantha) April 10, 2019
She said: “While these products seem like innocent toys, they have the potential to normalise gambling as a fun activity for children.
“Our research shows that children often are unable to understand the risks associated with slot machines. They remember the bright lights and positive sounds associated with the machines, and think they are a fun way to make money.
“Combining the winning features of a slot machine with such a well recognised candy brand and cartoon characters certainly may give children the perception that these are machines that are about wins rather than losses.
“Given the concern about the normalisation of gambling for children, I would think that M&M’s would have exercised better judgment about the suitability of this product for children.”
Concern about children’s attitudes to gambling has escalated in recent years, in the light of figures suggesting a rise in the number of problem gamblers between the age of 11 and 16.
Campaigners have also voiced fears about the future impact of widespread gambling advertising on social media and televised sporting events such as last summer’s World Cup.
The government has introduced tougher measures to prevent gambling ads reaching children online and is reviewing whether to strengthen ID checks on betting websites.
