Media guidelines for the responsible reporting of gambling harm: a comparative review of evidence and issues

This review critically examines media guidelines aimed at reducing gambling-related harm and stigma, assessing their alignment with best practice reporting standards for other stigmatised public health issues, including mental health, suicide, and substance use. Using a qualitative descriptive approach combining document analysis with mapping of key recommendations, we analysed ten publicly available gambling media guidelines, mainly from governmental and non-profit organisations in Great Britain and Australia.Common recommendations included person-first and non-stigmatising language, avoiding blame-based narratives, empathetic framing, and signposting to support services—principles consistent with broader public health communication norms. However, most gambling guidelines focus on language, self-stigma, and help-seeking, while giving limited attention to commercial determinants, public stigma, and discrimination. As a result, they remain centred on individual responsibility rather than equipping media professionals to reframe the broader causes, consequences, and solutions to gambling harm.Future guidelines should adopt broader framing strategies, provide practical and ethical guidance for journalists, engage diverse stakeholders including media professionals, and offer access to reliable data sources. Such improvements would strengthen the media’s capacity to deliver accurate, ethical, and stigma-reducing coverage capable of influencing both public attitudes and policy responses to gambling harm.