I Won’t Play

The Change that Matters

1 in 4 children in Romania gambles before the age of 11, leading to lifelong poverty and addiction. The biggest trigger is seeing sports heroes in gambling ads. Save the Children needed to change the law, but no gambling company, big-name star, or media company would help. They were all complicit. It would take a generation to change a generation.

The Work

19 underage sports champions, aged 16 and 17, made a public pledge to never star in gambling ads: I Won’t Play. Spanning judo, athletics, gymnastics, football, equestrian, and basketball, these young athletes risked their financial futures to stand up for their generation. Save the Children built a web hub to host the pledges, schools joined to create a national billboard network when media contractors refused, and social media orchestration drove the outcry to every facet of Romanian society. In just 10 days, a new law was passed banning all celebrities from gambling ads forever.

The Impact

Romania introduced the first national ban on stars in gambling ads. The campaign drove 100% negative sentiment among sports stars toward gambling advertising, and 4 media contractors banned the campaign before the law forced the change. Coverage ran on CNN, Euronews, Newsweek, and TVR, reaching audiences across Europe.