Meet the Checkmates

GambleAware Week is an annual initiative aiming to raise awareness of harmful gambling, and according to research, Aussies love gambling more than any other country. Our challenge was to educate the public without directly calling out problem gamblers.

To avoid stigmatising gamblers, we reached out to their friends by creating four relatable characters — Buck, Betty, Skip and Moby — who personify gambling addiction's most common behaviours.

Digital, radio, and print were used to promote the campaign online, on-air, and in every major club in New South Wales. Fact sheets were created as a resource for advocates to use at their discretion.

People can check in online to learn more about the warning signs and how to approach the issue if a mate is struggling with gambling addiction.

We created a game to demonstrate the psychology behind gambling; by using a simple game mechanic, we can show how easily gambling debt can accumulate and how hard it is to recover from significant losses.